Adams Launches Donation Drive For Feminine Care Products
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams (D) today will join Food Bank For New York City COO Lisa Hines-Johnson to launch Brooklyn’s participation in Food Bank’s “Woman to Woman” campaign — a donation drive to collect feminine care products and address the critical needs of women and girls living in poverty.
One in three low-income families struggles to afford basic household goods, including feminine care products, and nearly three-quarters of New York City food pantries and soup kitchens report a need for more household and hygiene items to better serve their female clients.
The campaign, which will encourage New Yorkers to donate feminine care products at Brooklyn Borough Hall or online via Food Bank’s Amazon Wishlist from today, July 31 to October 31. Duane Reade will kick-start the drive with a donation of products.
On average, women between the ages of 12 to 54 buy roughly 250 feminine care products every year, including pads, tampons and panty liners. That presents a significant financial burden to families living on limited income, especially those already struggling to balance the rising cost of food, rent and other essential living expenses.
The launch is slated for 10 a.m., today, July 31 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Downton Brooklyn.
Golden Puts MTA On Notice After Train Delay
State Sen. Martin J. Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, parts of Sheepshead Bay, Borough Park, Midwood) yesterday put the MTA on notice that he will monitor the agency closer after yesterday morning’s train delays that impacted the morning commute of thousands of his constituents.
The MTA apologized to customers Monday after a miscommunication about a tunnel construction project and a track error led to significant delays and frustrated customers along the D, N and R subway lines Monday morning.
The MTA began a structural rehabilitation project at tunnels in Brooklyn Monday – but it did not properly communicate those changes to riders beforehand, the agency said.
The agency says work on an approximately year-long project to repair and replace steel, concrete and tunnel lighting in the express tunnel between the 59th Street and 36th Street stations in Sunset Park began on Monday.
The repair work will cause N trains to make local stops at 45th Street and 53rd Street in both directions through at least July 2019, according to the MTA.
“In this digital age, it is unacceptable that the Transit Authority had such a significant breakdown in communications between management and customers. Furthermore, the massive congestion caused by the routing of the D train onto the express tracks is mind-blogging, leading one to believe this adjustment was made by an amateur,” said Golden.
“The MTA has promised this will not happen again throughout the duration of this rehabilitation project, and straphangers on the R, N and D lines can be assured that my staff and I will be monitoring this in the days, weeks and months ahead. Constituents have raised a number of questions to me regarding the project’s impact and we will be further clarification soon,” he added.
Colton Organizes Cleanup Along Kings Highway
Assemblyman William Colton (D–Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights) and his Community Relations Director, Nancy Tong, recently organized a team of high school volunteers to sweep sidewalks and catch basins along Kings Highway between McDonald Avenue and Bay Parkway.
“Often the Department of Sanitation and local business owners are on tight budgets and unable to provide the necessary personnel to properly clean all of the catch basins and sidewalks,” said Colton.
For over eight years, Colton has mobilized a team of volunteers from the area to beautify the streets and raise awareness of existing needs among youth to this recurring problem. Local businesses were provided with flyers detailing the need to keep their public space clean and how it will have a positive impact on their businesses, especially in customer satisfaction.
In collaboration with City Councilman Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend), not-for-profit groups in the area have been contracted to provide daily street cleaning services along commercial blocks, including 86th Street and 18th Avenue.
“It is important to take care of our public spaces and have a positive impact on the environment to make it cleaner,” said Colton. “Cleaner streets mean a better quality of life for all residents and business owners in the area.”
Williams Civil Disobedience Trial Begins Today
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, MIdwood) today will begin his criminal trial today related to his civil disobedience arrest while trying to stop the unlawful detention and imminent deportation of immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir.
Williams along with 17, including City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Bronx), as he protested the detention and imminent deportation of Ragbir outside the Jacob K. Javitz Building in lower Manhattan. He faces charges of Obstruction of an Emergency Vehicle and Obstructing Government Administration.
Williams will be available to speak to the media prior to the start of the trial, at 9:15 a.m., across the street from New York County Criminal Court at the corner of Chambers Street and Park Row.
New Kings Democrats General August Meeting
The New Kings Democrats (NKD) political club will hold their August General Meeting on Thursday.
Some agenda highlights include:
- NKD Executive Committee election for Director of Communications
- Endorsement Vote in State Senate District 18 race
- Endorsement Vote in Attorney General race
- Rep Your Block and Vision updates
- What to expect at the September County Committee meeting
The meeting is slated for 7-9 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 2 at Mayday, 176 St Nicholas Avenue in Bushwick RSVP at http://www.newkingsdemocrats.
