Dimitri's Drop N Shop Doorstep Pantry

Hi, my name is Dimitri! I'm a curent high school student living on the Lower East Side. I am fighting food insecurity by gathering non-perishables to help feed the hungry in my neighborhood, and I need your help...

How did COVID impact Food Insecurity in New York?

In the last year, over 30% of soup kitchens and food pantries had to close down in New York City due to COVID. This happened at the same time that 1 million New Yorkers facing hunger in 2019 ballooned to 1.5 million in 2021. Now, 1 in 5 families with kids in NYC regularly do not have enough to eat. And while our city and our economy are opening up, food insecurity from the pandemic persists, and is predicted to extend throughout 2022. The Lower East Side has been hit particularly hard. In response to this growing need for food, the 12th Street Community Fridge and Pantry opened on the corner of 12th and 1st in the spring of 2020, and the Loisaida CommUnity Fridge and Pantry opened the summer of 2021 on Avenue B and 9th Street. These programs were created through collaboration with the Change Food organization, LES CommUnity Concerns, and the East Village community.

All of the food in these community fridges and pantries are donated by New Yorkers just like me.

Why did I start Dimitri’s Drop N Shop Doorstep Pantry?

Moved by what was happening, I started my own mutual aid project last winter to combat hunger in my community, partnering with these local programs to get food to those in need. I am inspired by community-initiated programs, and this mutual aid project reflects that: just neighbors helping neighbors, those who have a little extra helping out those who do not have enough.

I started by flyering my neighbors, with a food drop off point on the floor of my apartment building. I then expanded to my entire building, and then added another building down the block. Every week, rain or shine, I bring all of the food collected to community fridges and pantries. Supported by the generous donations of my neighbors, I have been able to bring hundreds of pounds of free groceries to food-insecure people and families in my community.

Because food insecurity is still a tremendous need here, I have expanded my project to include a webpage and this Go Fund Me, and that is why I need your help today.

Through this GoFundMe, you can help combat food insecurity from wherever you are. Every cent gathered through Dimitri’s Drop N Shop Doorstep Pantry goes to purchase groceries to be placed within the community fridges listed above.

You make a donation, I get food to those in need:

Below, you will find a list of commonly requested pantry items. When you donate, you can make a “shopping list” of the items you would like your contribution to be used for by attaching a comment with your donation.

If you'd rather not specify, your donation will go towards a selection of the items on the list.

• Canned Beans: $1.50 per can
• Canned Soup: $2.00 per can
• Canned Stew: $3.50 per can
• Canned Tuna: $2.25 per can
• Canned Vegetables: $2.00 per can
• Pasta: $2.00 per box
• Rice: $2.50 per bag
• Cereal: $4.50 per box
• Granola Bars: $4.50 per box
• Crackers: $3.50 per box
• Peanut Butter: $3.00 per jar
• Jam and Jelly: $4.00 per jar
• Applesauce: $3.50 per six-pack
• Shelf-Stable Milk: $3.00 per quart

Please donate to Dimitri’s Drop N Shop pantry to fight food insecurity in New York City. Together we can combat hunger, changing our world, one block at a time.