Once a month when St. Francis Xavier church near Manhattan’s Union Square opens its food pantry in the basement, Mercedes Cruz takes a number and lines up outside with her cart.
Last summer, Cruz arrived at the church at 6 a.m. — four hours before the pantry opens — and there already were 18 people ahead of her. This Saturday though, after the area was hit by a blizzard that brought 12 inches of snow to some parts of the city, Cruz headed over to the church at 9:45 a.m. and still managed to be only the 35th person there.
Ahead of the snowfall that inundated the East Coast Friday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the city’s Department of Homeless Services to double efforts to connect the city’s unsheltered with a warm place to sleep. But for those needing help with other basics, like food, the snow seems to have complicated the quest for help.
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