(Updated March 25, 2020) | The Brooklyn government distributed free vegan meals to families in need over the weekend.
On Saturday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined animal rights organization Mercy for Animals (MFA) and hunger-relief charity Community Solidarity to give out plant-based meals to food-insecure Brooklynites. The new partnership — organized by MFA and Community Solidarity — is called “Plants to the People.”
On Sunday, police officers, firefighters, and hospital workers at Maimonides Medical Center received free food. The meals were a thank you for their service amid the coronavirus outbreak.
MFA purchased the meals from vegan establishments in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“Thrilled to partner with Mercy for Animals and Community Solidarity Bedford-Stuyvesant Food Share to provide free and delicious plant-based meals to families in need,” BP Adams said on Twitter.
N.Y. Governor Cuomo ordered the shut down of all non-essential services last week. These include local restaurants and bars — although they can remain open for takeout. The lockdown will allow the state to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
Adams will also give out free plant-based meals to those in need next Saturday, March 28, at 3 pm at Herbert Von King Park.
Brooklyn Restaurants Serve Those In Need
MFA purchased plant-based meals from a number of vegan restaurants throughout the city for the food giveaway.
Bar Velo, Brooklyn Whiskers Bakery, Urban Vegan Kitchen, Blossom, Screamer’s Pizzeria, Champs Diner, By Chloe, and Monk’s Meats all contributed to the weekend food drive.
“So grateful for Mercy for Animals, Community Solidarity, and BP Eric Adams. Thanks to them we get to live another day. Be strong y’all and support those who support you,” Urban Vegan Kitchen said on Instagram.
Brooklyn Whiskers Bakery took to Instagram to give thanks to Adams and Plants to the People partners. “Thank you to our amazing borough president BP Eric Adams, Mercy for Animals, and Community Solidarity, and everyone involved in this effort. This is a very proud moment to be vegan in New York City.”
BP Adams And Plant-Based Living
Adams has been a vocal advocate of his plant-based lifestyle.
He credits his diet for helping him to reverse the symptoms—such as nerve damage and loss of sight—of his type-2 diabetes.
“In three weeks my eyesight cleared up when I changed my diet. In three months all the nerve damage was gone. All of those symptoms that I had that were associated with my diabetes disappeared,” Adams told the Food Revolution Network.
The politician also includes plant-based nutrition resources on the Brooklyn website. His website provides a wealth of plant-based information—including a diet guide, book and documentary recommendations, doctors, and local vegan meetups and events.
