Fish and Loaves: Feeding the 5000 at Brooklyn Marina
I’ve been a New Yorker for most of my life, and a Brooklynite for 44 years. I’m not phased by a jam-packed subway car with no AC, or rats and roaches crossing the street with the crowds. I’ve crunched apple-red leaves underfoot in Central Park many a Fall, learned to avoid fluorescent Times Square, and “accidentally” walked through more brightly lit movie sets than I can count.
And I can tell you one thing. New York is a city that shows its true colors when in crisis. I watched it happen almost twenty years ago, after 9/11, and I’m watching it happen again now.
In a year that seems to have thrown us nothing but fear, isolation and uncertainty so far, I wanted to take the opportunity to shine a light on the beacon of hope and humanity that currently is Brooklyn Marina.
On the East River in Brooklyn Bridge Park, overlooking one of the most expensive views in the world, sits the city’s largest community dock, ONE15. With its cafe, restaurant, sailing club and community programs, the marina is ordinarily bustling with families, couples, dog walkers, joggers, diners and sailors alike.
Of course, like the rest of the world, the marina quickly emptied out when lockdown was enforced across NYC. But if you go down to the marina today, you’ll likely see a line of ambulances, transit vans, paramedics and volunteers, all working together to feed the city’s most essential personnel.
When lockdown hit, ONE15 Deputy CEO Estelle Lau had some hard decisions to make. There were no customers, and she knew there wouldn’t be for the foreseeable. She had to furlough most of her front of house team, and her managers took pay cuts in order to preserve as many jobs as possible. She wanted to stay open for pick-up and take out - in order to help maintain a sense of normalcy in the neighborhood.
One day, Estelle noticed an ambulance parked up outside the restaurant. “We’ve all been touched by the heroism that we’ve seen from our front line workers.” Estelle said. “So I walked over and knocked on the window. They began apologizing - saying they would be gone soon. But then I offered them a free coffee and a pastry, and use of our bathroom. They had the biggest smiles on their faces!”
ONE15 houses a restaurant called Estuary and a cafe called Ebb and Flow. Estelle quickly decided to put a big sign out front, reading “Free food and drink for NYC front line.” Soon, the ambulance parked up outside became two - then three, four, five…
Unbelievably, Estelle began to receive complaints from the building about the ambulances. She called a phone meeting with the resident board, ready to defend her initiative. But she was pleasantly surprised. The board were 100% behind Estelle, and even organized a GoFundMe campaign to support her work at ONE15. It has so far raised over $28,000.
For the last three months, ONE15 has been producing and delivering up to 1300 meals a week to over 13 hospitals in New York City - many of them in Queens and outer Brooklyn; COVID epicenters beyond most Manhattan-based food drives’ ranges. ONE15 has also become a makeshift home base for out of town EMR workers, offering free dockage on top of free food to those coming in from out of town to help out in the city’s overwhelmed hospitals.
“We’re working seven days a week from 8.30am - 6pm, and then we stay open for first responders to have a place to use the bathroom.” Estelle told me via FaceTime this week. “Everybody has stepped up, helping with packaging and labelling. My electrician gave us his vans to use for deliveries. He drives down from the Bronx everyday to take food to various hospitals.”
My husband, Vince, is one of the many local volunteers who have been delivering food as far afield as Coney Island. “The response has been amazing - the community that we have managed to build here.” Estelle told me. “Local restaurants donated food to us, our neighbors came and decorated the marina with signs. A local balloon business covered our whole storefront in balloons!”
Estelle says she has received letters of thanks from EMR workers and even their parents, and made many new friends she would otherwise never have met. “I’ve got to see more of New York in the COVID closures than during my five years working here previously.”
As NYC enters Phase 2 of the lockdown lift, Estelle is now preparing to open outdoor, socially-distanced seating at ONE15 later this week.
“We’re still running the food program - the hospitals and EMR workers still need us. But we’re running at a loss. The GoFundMe covers the food and packaging - but overhead, labor, delivery, that’s all still being covered by ONE15.
Sometimes, on the bleakest of backdrops - the brightest lights shine through. I’m never more proud to call myself a New Yorker than when I meet people like Estelle and the community she has created at ONE15. If you want to support her - you can still donate to the GoFundMe, or if you’re in the area, get yourself down to Brooklyn Marina for a socially-distanced coffee and croissant. Vince and I will see you there!