MANHATTAN, NEW YORK — On a rainy afternoon in Greenwich Village, hundreds of New Yorkers lined up for groceries and walked away with a rose.
Scott’s Flowers donated 300 single stems for every color of the Pride flag. Blue went fastest.
“A color for everyone,” said Leah Tsalis of Scott’s Flowers. “It’s not always about necessity. People want things too — extra joy and beauty.”
The June 23 Pride distribution, hosted by Food Bank For NYC in partnership with The Red Door Place, provided 6,000 pounds of fresh produce, meat, and shelf-stable groceries in just four hours. Alongside food, neighbors connected with SNAP enrollment support, city resources, free HIV testing, and nutrition education. A rose accompanied each distribution, with 200 people served in a single 30-minute window.
Louis Kang, Director of The Red Door Place, wasn’t surprised. He’s been watching the need grow since COVID, and it hasn’t stopped.
“When safety nets fail, community members rely on pantries like ours,” he said. “You’d be surprised by the amount of need — and the different demographics now impacted.”
It’s a need Food Bank For NYC shows up for every week — more than 10,000 pounds of food delivered to The Red Door Place through retail donations, warehouse resources, and federally subsidized foods.
In Greenwich Village, many of those neighbors are LGBTQIA+ seniors living on fixed incomes. A snapshot from the day: one older woman learned her SNAP benefits had increased since last year. By one dollar. Her monthly allotment: $24.
“That’s the minimum you can get on SNAP,” said Alejandra Cleves, Food Bank For NYC’s SNAP Specialist, who spent the afternoon on the ground helping New Yorkers navigate benefits and connect with additional resources.
Anna Herman, Manager of Community Nutrition, ran a fruit-infused seltzer bar for New Yorkers waiting in line — strawberries, citrus, an alternative to soda. Colorful, by design.
“Food insecurity especially impacts historically marginalized groups — LGBTQ people, especially LGBTQ people of color, trans people,” she said. “That’s why showing up matters. So people feel safe coming here.”
Dario, a gay man of color who grew up in Kensington, Brooklyn, came out that afternoon the way he always does — for community.
A corporate veteran who built a career spanning some of the biggest brands in the country, he’s now back in New York, building something of his own.
He picked a yellow rose. It matched his pineapple shirt.
Dario’s been connected to the LGBT Center for 17 years — since a Craigslist post led him to a Valentine’s Day dance there, a first date, and a best friendship that’s outlasted the romance. He’s been to Food Bank For NYC events before, too. He keeps coming back for the same reason.
“This organization never makes you feel ashamed for needing it,” he said. “They make you feel good about coming. That’s the key.”
For Scott’s Flowers owner Rob Palliser, seeing New Yorkers like Dario leave with groceries and a rose was a reminder of what community looks like.
“The community response keeps bringing us back,” he said. “New Yorkers are New Yorkers. The community will step up for each other. If you want to be part of that—do it.”
Food, flowers, health services, benefits enrollment, and community — this is what Pride looked like that afternoon in Greenwich Village.
