An organization created to help address food insecurity in Baltimore is working on expanding despite losing key federal funding.The long line of people awaiting weekday food giveaways at 4MyCiTy in Southwest Baltimore serves as a stark reminder of struggles with food insecurity right in our backyard. “Everything is so high — your vegetables, your meat, your taxes, the insurance on your houses — everything is going up,” said Patricia Davis, a recipient of food from 4MyCiTy.”It just helps out a lot because, with the times, it’s tough right now, financially. So, by coming here, it helps us better than actually going to the store,” said Ian Davis, a recipient of food from 4MyCiTy. 4MyCiTy provides store-quality produce and more at no cost to people who need it the most. 4MyCiTy’s location at 1133 Wilso Drive is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays for families to pick up the food they need.The organization also provides jobs and free composting to collect food waste from the public that machines turn into usable soil in 24 hours.Christopher Dipnarine founded 4MyCiTy as a food rescue organization in 2018, but he never imagined that 12,000 families and counting would register for his program.”We’ve kind of revolutionized the way that we handle food from the store, from the start all the way through the finish,” said Dipnarine, who is also 4MyCiTy’s executive director. “A big part of what we are doing here is, first, (provide) access to the food that we believe people should have access to, and then education. Our numbers have risen drastically. We see anywhere between 25 to 30 new sign-ups in our program daily.”For people who can’t get food from 4MyCiTy in person, the organization on Monday launched a new app, where people can sign up to get food delivered or sign up to get paid to be a delivery driver.| NEW APP: iOS | Google PlayThe organization is working to enroll families in need of deliveries, as well as people interested in earning money as delivery drivers.”It’s our way of keeping a circular economy right here within our program,” Dipnarine told 11 News.As Dipnarine and his team do more to empower people, they’re receiving less funding.”We had about $900,000 in federal funding to help sustain some of our immigrant community food distribution and to advance some of our composting and environmental sustainability work,” Dipnarine told 11 News. “Most of that federal funding was pulled back because, obviously, the administration changed and some of their shifts in policies. It has dampened us spiritually a little bit. It has definitely hurt our program financially.”But the team at 4MyCiTy isn’t giving up, doing everything it can to continue serving people struggling with food insecurity.”You see how many families are still coming in here, so we need to continue operations and make sure that we can serve our community,” Dipnarine told 11 News.With the loss in federal funding, 4MyCiTy has to find new ways to raise money. For more information on how you can help, tap here.
An organization created to help address food insecurity in Baltimore is working on expanding despite losing key federal funding.
The long line of people awaiting weekday food giveaways at 4MyCiTy in Southwest Baltimore serves as a stark reminder of struggles with food insecurity right in our backyard.
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“Everything is so high — your vegetables, your meat, your taxes, the insurance on your houses — everything is going up,” said Patricia Davis, a recipient of food from 4MyCiTy.
“It just helps out a lot because, with the times, it’s tough right now, financially. So, by coming here, it helps us better than actually going to the store,” said Ian Davis, a recipient of food from 4MyCiTy.
4MyCiTy provides store-quality produce and more at no cost to people who need it the most. 4MyCiTy’s location at 1133 Wilso Drive is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays for families to pick up the food they need.
The organization also provides jobs and free composting to collect food waste from the public that machines turn into usable soil in 24 hours.
Christopher Dipnarine founded 4MyCiTy as a food rescue organization in 2018, but he never imagined that 12,000 families and counting would register for his program.
“We’ve kind of revolutionized the way that we handle food from the store, from the start all the way through the finish,” said Dipnarine, who is also 4MyCiTy’s executive director. “A big part of what we are doing here is, first, (provide) access to the food that we believe people should have access to, and then education. Our numbers have risen drastically. We see anywhere between 25 to 30 new sign-ups in our program daily.”
For people who can’t get food from 4MyCiTy in person, the organization on Monday launched a new app, where people can sign up to get food delivered or sign up to get paid to be a delivery driver.
| NEW APP: iOS | Google Play
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The organization is working to enroll families in need of deliveries, as well as people interested in earning money as delivery drivers.
“It’s our way of keeping a circular economy right here within our program,” Dipnarine told 11 News.
As Dipnarine and his team do more to empower people, they’re receiving less funding.
“We had about $900,000 in federal funding to help sustain some of our immigrant community food distribution and to advance some of our composting and environmental sustainability work,” Dipnarine told 11 News. “Most of that federal funding was pulled back because, obviously, the administration changed and some of their shifts in policies. It has dampened us spiritually a little bit. It has definitely hurt our program financially.”
But the team at 4MyCiTy isn’t giving up, doing everything it can to continue serving people struggling with food insecurity.
“You see how many families are still coming in here, so we need to continue operations and make sure that we can serve our community,” Dipnarine told 11 News.
With the loss in federal funding, 4MyCiTy has to find new ways to raise money. For more information on how you can help, tap here.
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