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December 2012

Two Bridges Community Food Assessment

For more than half a century, Two Bridges Neighborhood Council's programs, projects, and

activities have nurtured the unique character of the Lower East Side by building bridges

among its diverse communities. We create equitable housing, celebrate cultural diversitythrough neighborhood-based programs, and work together with local residents, businesses,

entrepreneurs, and leaders to stimulate and maintain economic vitality.

Two Bridges Neighborhood Council is committed to

protecting and enhancing access to fresh and affordable

food in the Two Bridges neighborhood. Two Bridges,

on Manhattans Lower East Side is an ethnically and

economically diverse community. It is, however, among

the lowest-income neighborhoods in Manhattan, and

has one of the highest rates of reliance on food subsidy

benefits. In the late 70s and early 80s, Two Bridges &

Settlement Housing Fund led the fight to bring a full-

service supermarket to our neighborhood, resulting in

the construction of a Pathmark Supermarket on lot 8

of the Two Bridges Urban Renewal Area. The 24-hour

Pathmark Supermarket & Pharmacy have served our

community for almost 30 years (1983 to 2012).

In late September 2012, Pathmark Supermarket announced its intention to close before the end of the year.

Its replacement is likely to be a market-rate to luxury residential tower. A fixture in the largely low-income

residential neighborhood for 30 years, Pathmarks closure has both immediate and long-term implications for

the residents of the Two Bridges neighborhood.

Two Bridges & James Johnson-Piett,principal of Urbane Development, one of

the nations leading experts on inner-city

food access, are developing interim and

long-term strategies for serving the needs

of the Two Bridges community. Mr.

Johnson-Piett consulted on the Going to

Market Plan: New York Citys NeighborhoodGrocery Store and Supermarket Shortage;

serves on the Board of the Community

Food Security Coalition; is a co-convener

of the National Healthy Corner Store

Network; and is an advisory council

member to the USDAs Healthy Urban

Food Enterprise Development Program.

FDRDR

MADISONST

HENRYST

SOUTHST

CANALST

EBROADWAY

CHERRYST

BROOKLY

NBR

MNBR

APPR

P I K E S T

MONROEST

M A R K E

T S T

J A C K S O N S T

WORTH

ST

CATHERINEST

YARDST

R U T G E R S S T

LST

PARKRO

W

STJAMES

PL

LE W I

FDRD

RNBE

NBKB

R

BKBREXITRP

OVER

ST

DIVISIONST

PELLST

WATERST

MARSHALL ST

M O N T G O M E R Y S T

G O L D

S T

G O U V E R N E

U R

S T

J E F F E R S O N

S T

BIAL

P I K E

S L I

P

OLIVERST

RONT

ST

OGANPL

MECHANICSA

L

DRSB

ENPE

ARLST

FDRDR SB EXIT3

R U T G E R

S S L I P

DOYERSST

CHATHA

MSQ

FDRDRNBEN

MONTGOMER

Y ST

MOSCO ST

CANNON

ABRA

HAM

KAZAN

FDRDR

FDRDR

MNBR

APPR

P I K E S T

WATERST

R L

ST

FORSYTHST

CHERRY

PIT

T

P I K E

S T

MANHATTANBR

Pathmark Site

Parks

Food Stamp Recipients / Congressional Districts (2008)

Total households receiving Food Stamps in 2008 (Estimate)

1859 - 5000

5000 - 10000

10000 - 20000

20000 - 25000

25000 - 30000

30000 - 40000

40000 - 80000

[0 0.25

Miles

For over 30 years, Two Bridges has led community advocacyaround fresh & affordable food access in our neighborhood.

The Two Bridges Neighborhood has one of the highest rates of food stampreliance in New York City.

7/29/2019 Two Bridges Community Food Assessment

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December 2012

The goals of the Two Bridges-Urbane Development Collaboration include: Creating interim affordable food

access; developing a more resilient, affordable fresh food network in Two Bridges; and strengthening our local

economy. To achieve these goals, Two Bridges and Urbane Development have developed survey tools for

both residents and local businesses to gauge the level of need and opportunity in the neighborhood.

Through public meetings,

surveys and community-basedprograms, Two Bridges is

engaging residents in a larger

discussion about food access,

quality, nutrition & health in the

neighborhood. The Shopping

survey will help us understand

peoples needs and shopping

habits. The multilingual survey

(English, Spanish & Chinese) is

available online as well as inpaper format. Results from this

survey will be reported in late

December 2012.

A detailed survey of local business owners is underway to understand this neighborhoods existing capacity to

feed residents currently reliant on Pathmark, and to strengthen the food network and local economy, including

bodegas, small-scale groceries, fruit and vegetable stands and pharmacies. The survey will enable us to connect

to store owners who may be interested in working with us to build and enhance their businesses to better

serve the needs of the neighborhood.

Together, the surveys data and additional research will be compiled to create a grocery guide to the

neighborhood. The guide will serve as a roadmap and index of affordability, to allow residents to locate the

goods & services they require. The guide will be published in the spring of 2013.

For more information about Two Bridges

and our Community Food Assessment:

http://tinyurl.com/twobridgesfood

Kerri Culhane

Associate Director

Two Bridges Neighborhood Council

275 Cherry Street

New York, New York 10002

212/566-2729 //kerri@twobridges.org

http://www.twobridges.org

FDRDR

MADISONST

ST

HENRYST

SOUTHST

CANALST

EBROADWAY

CHERRYST

BROOKLYN

BR

CLINTON

ST

BOWERY

DELANCEYST

MOTTST

MNBR

APPR

BROOMEST

P I K E S T

ESSEX

ST

ALLE

NST

MONROEST

LUD

LOW

ST

MULBERRY

S

ELDR

IDGEST

M A R K E T S T

O

RCHARDST

BAXTER

ST

J A C K

S O N

S T

WORTH

ST

CATHERI NEST

BAYARDST

TREST

R U T G E R S S T

RL

ST

PARKRO

W

STJAMES

PL

LEWIS

ST

COLUM

ELIZ

ABETH

ST

FDRDR

NBEN

BKBR

CHR

BKBREXITRP

OVERST

SUFFOLK

DIVISIONST

PELLST

WATERST

ITEST

M O N T G O M E R Y S T

NORFOL

G O U V E R N E U R S T

J E F F E R S O N S T

BIALYSTOKE

RP

L

FORSY

P I K E S L I P

OLI VER ST

ONTST

OGANPL

MECHANICSA

L

DR

SBEN

PEARLST

FDRDRSBEXIT3

R U T G E R S S L I P

DOYERSST

CHATHA

MSQ

FDRDRNBEN

MONTGOME

RYST

MOSCOST

CANNONST

ABR

AHAMKAZAN

ST

F DRDR

FDRDR

MNBR

APPR

P I K E S T

WATERST

FORSYTHST

HESTERST

CHERRYST

PIT

TS

T

P I K E S T

MANHATTA

NBR

Two Bridges Communi ty Food Assessment: Walking Dist ances

Pathmark Site

Parks

Walking Distances

2-5 minutes=1/8 mile

5-10 minutes=1/4 mile

10-15 minutes=3/8 mile [0 0.25

Miles

Surveys reveal that the majority of residents do their shopping on foot.Understanding the nature of peoples shopping habits will help us design relevantsolutions to the neighborhood food access issue.