Taino Towers EnVision Center Partners Lead the Way During the Pandemic


[Taino Towers EnVision Center partners and volunteers posing for a photo before handing out food, water, and face masks to East Harlem residents.]
Taino Towers EnVision Center partners and volunteers posing for a photo before handing out food, water, and face masks to East Harlem residents.

[Volunteers handing out food, water, and face masks to East Harlem residents.]
Volunteers handing out food, water, and face masks to East Harlem residents.

[Volunteers handing out food, water, and face masks to East Harlem residents.]
Volunteers handing out food, water, and face masks to East Harlem residents.

[Fresh food awaiting delivery to East Harlem residents.]
Fresh food awaiting delivery to East Harlem residents.

By: Jacob Dale, Region II Public Affairs Specialist

The Taino Towers EnVision Center and its partners continue to lift up the East Harlem community in Manhattan throughout the pandemic. STRIVE, a HUD EnVision Center partner, teamed up with One Hundred Black Men of New York (OHBM) to provide a food and face mask giveaway on Saturday, July 11, 2020.

Henry Comas, HUD's On-Site Coordinator for the Taino Towers EnVision Center, joined members of OHBM and STRIVE NY to unload boxes of water, provide fresh and hot food (rice and chicken), and hand out gloves and face masks to residents of Taino Towers, one of HUD's multifamily housing properties. Michael Garner, President of One Hundred Black Men of New York and Terrence Byerson, Outreach Manager for STRIVE NY and Third Vice President of OHBM, also participated in the event. About 200 meals and 150 masks were given out to families. Members also handed out voter registration brochures and U.S. Census information.

OHBM has given out over 12,000 meals and 60,000 masks throughout New York City since the start of the pandemic. As Terrence puts it, "We are all our brothers' keepers to an extent, and we have a human responsibility to help those in need in any way we can." STRIVE is currently hoping to deliver 1,000 masks to the residents of Wagner Houses and other surrounding New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments in East Harlem.

STRIVE has been a key partner in the East Harlem community for over 35 years and is more than just a workforce development agency, as it provides a multitude of wraparound services. STRIVE serves the community by alleviating barriers to successful employment including housing opportunities, clothing needs, and childcare issues.

OHBM is a non-profit organization of community leaders who play a proactive role in leveraging collective talent, ability, and energy toward achieving meaningful gains for the Black community.One Hundred Black Men initiatives focus on education through mentoring, wealth building strategies, fostering economic development, and raising awareness of health issues affecting Black communities.

###
Content Archived: January 1, 2022