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New York City FC Finish 5th in East, To Play Charlotte in MLS Cup Playoffs

BQE Admin on October 24, 2025

New York City FC fell at Citi Field to the Seattle Sounders on Decision Day, 2-1. (Photos: Noah Zimmerman)

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

The Boys in Blue will enter the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference following their loss to the Seattle Sounders and Miami’s win over Nashville SC on Decision Day last Saturday. They open the postseason on the road in Charlotte in a best-of-three first round series.

It was a difficult night in Queens for New York City FC, who welcomed Seattle to Citi Field for their final match in Flushing in 2025. NYC were unable to build decisive attacking chances, barely testing former MLS Cup MVP Stefan Frei in the Seattle goal.

Former MLS Cup Final MVP Stefan Frei wasn’t tested much in the Sounders net as he helped see out the 1-goal win.

The match was a physical one, but also tightly called by referee Chris Penso. While no goals were scored in the opening 45 minutes, three NYC players entered Penso’s book in stoppage time, as Kevin O’Toole, Justin Haak, and Matt Freese each received a yellow card.

In the second half, Seattle broke the deadlock from a set piece. Jordan Morris got his head on a ball from point blank range, tucking it into the net. The hosts immediately subbed on three players in Julian Fernandez, Agustin Ojeda, and Jonny Shore, now chasing an equalizer to salvage a point.

NYC captain Thiago Martins pleads his case to referee Chris Penso after a penalty was awarded to Seattle. The call was later overturned by VAR.

A more inspired NYC attack finally broke through with 8 minutes remaining. A shot by Nico Fernandez was nearly blocked, but the ball was redirected into the Sounders net, with nothing Frei could do to keep it out.

Even though they were locked into the West’s #5 seed, Seattle fought hard to regain the advantage. Once again they were able to take advantage of a controversial call (or rather this time a no-call) and scored another header in the 87th minute, this time from Jackson Ragen.

Suddenly, NYC’s playoff seeding was out of their hands, as the final whistle blew soon after the Sounders’ second goal. Luckily they were saved by Lionel Messi, who completed a second half hat trick to defeat Nashville SC and keep New York City in the East’s 5th seed. 

With the standings final, New York will visit 4th place Charlotte FC in the opening round. With Miami’s win over Nashville, the two sides will face off again as the 3rd and 6th seeds. FC Cincinnati will take on the Columbus Crew in a playoff edition of the “Hell is Real” Derby, while Supporters Shield winners Philadelphia await the winners of the Wild Card match between Chicago and Orlando.

The first round matchups will be a best-of-three series, with the top seed hosting the first match and the final game if necessary. NYC will head to Charlotte on Tuesday, October 28 for Game 1 at 6:45pm. Then the sides will meet at Yankee Stadium for Game 2 on Saturday, November 1 at 3:30pm. The final game would be held back in Charlotte on Friday, November 7.

Charlotte will be without star forward Wilfred Zaha for the opening game as he picked up a red card in their final match against Philadelphia. Still, Charlotte holds the joint-best home record in the East, and will be difficult to beat twice in a series where they’d host two games.

US Open Gets Underway With A Bang

BQE Admin on August 26, 2025

Much to the delight of tennis fans this week the USTA changed the format of the US Open by spreading the first round singles matches over three days. The matches started Sunday, while tens of thousands of fans turned the grounds and pathways into the best-dressed 3-day mosh pit we’ve ever seen. The National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park is certainly the ‘place to be’ for the end of summer.

It’s the place to be in NYC to end the summer as we called it ‘the best-dressed mosh pit’ ever.

Although 6th seeded American Madison Keys disappointed the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium Monday, amassing 89 unforced errors in a first round loss, Californian Jenson Brooksby beat Aleksander Vukic from Australia in 5 sets in one of the most intense matches Monday.  Fan favorite Frances Tiafoe outlasted 149th ranked Yoshihito Nishioka, from Japan in the afternoon. Carlos Alcaraz surprised onlookers at the practice courts Monday afternoon, revealing his new ‘buzz-cut,’ and the anticipation of Venus Williams playing on center court Monday night was the chatter of the crowd. Venus lost to 11th seed Karolina Muchova in a 3-set night-match on center court followed by Alcaraz, who beat 7 footer, Reilly Opelka, who hails from Delray Beach.

Californian Jenson Brooksby outlasted Aleksander Vukic on court 11. Tennis fans get to see high level tennis on the outer courts through most of the tournament.

Frances Tiafoe, with his signature backhand jump wins on center court Monday. He is one of America’s best hopes to win this championship, which has not seen a winner from the US, on the men’s side, in 2 decades.

Play continues every day through September 7th in Flushing Meadows Park. The day session begins at 11:30 while the night sessions start at 7PM.

Political Whisperer: New York’s Threat to Re-Redraw Congressional Lines

BQE Admin on August 12, 2025

By Robert Hornak

One of the great traditions of American politics is for both political parties to try their best to gerrymander the lines of the political districts in their states. There is nothing new about this or unique to either party. 

There has been recent attention brought to this process, sparked by two recent Supreme Court decisions. In 2019, the court ruled that issues related to partisan gerrymandering – the process where district lines are drawn to favor one party over the other – are “beyond the reach of the federal courts” changing how past voting rights cases, that advantaged democrats over republicans, would be considered by the court. 

Then in 2024, the SCOTUS ruled in favor of a South Carolina district that was challenged as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Writing for the majority, Justice Alito stated, “inferring bad faith based on the racial effects of a political gerrymander in a jurisdiction in which race and partisan preference are very closely correlated” would no longer be accepted as a basis for challenge by the court, recognizing the difference between political and racial gerrymandering.

Now there is talk about drawing new lines in certain red states where partisan gerrymandering in the past had been thwarted by the courts as being racially, not politically based. Texas is leading the charge, looking to redraw their congressional lines to increase partisan advantage, as democrats have already done in many states, looking to fight fire with fire. 

Democrats, naturally, are up in arms, screaming about how unethical this effort is, while trying to cover their Cheshire cat grin for having done it themselves so successfully in states like Illinois, California, and Massachusetts. 

But nowhere were they more blatant about this than in New York. In 2014, NY voters approved a referendum to make the redistricting process “a fair and readily transparent process by which to redraw the lines of state legislative and congressional districts” according to the NYC Independent Redistricting Commission. The newly created IRC would draw the lines of new districts with strict constitutional limitations on gerrymandering to advantage either political party. However, the legislature must approve the final maps, a legislature now dominated by democrats. 

Unlike Texas, the NY Constitution mandates that district lines be redrawn once and only once a decade. The IRC submitted their constitutionally required plan for redistricting for the 2022 elections, but they were not gerrymandered enough for the Democrats in Albany. 

Unable to get the 2/3 vote required to pass their own gerrymandered lines, the process was handed to the courts. A non-partisan expert was engaged and the court set the new lines. Lines that were generally seen as fair by just about everyone – except the Democrats in power who were highly displeased that Republicans gained three seats that election. 

So, committed to finding a better way to gerrymander within constitutional boundaries, Democrats pledged to draw new lines for the 2024 election. And they did. Republicans, who had 11 seats after the 2022 election but lost one in the special election to replace George Santos, went from 10 seats to 7 after 2024.

So now Texas is effectively doing what NY did just a year ago. But not to be outdone, NY Democrats are declaring themselves the masters of gerrymandering and telling Texas Republicans you ain’t seen nothing yet. 

While Democrats around the country yell foul and claim that Texas is violating the constitution (although without challenging Texas’ authority in court and with Texas creating three new majority Hispanic districts), NY Democrats are threatening action and pledging to once again redraw NY’s lines and gerrymander them even more with the explicit goal of eliminating five more NY Republicans. 

Democratic Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris said very bluntly, “We can come up with lines that comply with constitutional criteria that still accomplish our goal” just as they did in 2024. Only one thing stands in their way, the NYS Constitution. They need to change the state constitution to allow mid-decade redistricting. All this depends on a positive outcome for their referendum in a future election with an electorate that has already expressed their disapproval of partisan gerrymandering.

Robert Hornak is a veteran political consultant who has previously served as the Deputy Director of the Republican Assembly Leader’s NYC office and as Executive Director of the Queens Republican Party. He can be reached at rahornak@gmail.com and @roberthornak on X.

Liberty Catching Fire Ahead of All-Star Break

BQE Admin on July 18, 2025

Wins over Aces, Dream give NY some much-needed momentum

The Liberty picked up a big win over the Las Vegas Aces last Tuesday. They entered the All-Star Break with two more wins vs Atlanta and Indiana. (Photo: NY Liberty, Brandon Todd)

Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

With the WNBA All Star Break coming up this weekend, the Liberty are starting to catch fire again. In their two matchups last week New York pulled off a big win over the Las Vegas Aces before staging a miraculous comeback against the Atlanta Dream. On the heels of a rough stretch, the wins ensured New York would remain atop the East heading into the break.

With Jonquel Jones injured and other Liberty players hurt, New York had a very short bench last Tuesday against Las Vegas. With Isabelle Harrison suffering a knee injury and Natasha Cloud nursing a hip problem, the Liberty only had eight players in their rotation. Marquesha Davis did not play, eventually waived by the team on Sunday.

Despite the thin reserves, New York came out on fire, knocking down early buckets for a strong start. New York supplemented their scoring with strong defense, getting a hand on as many Aces passes as possible.

In the 2nd quarter Aces star and 3x MVP A’ja Wilson took a heavy hit on a layup attempt and went down, drawing concern and an eerie silence over the Barclays Center crowd. The Aces bench rushed to check on her, and the fans applauded their former nemesis as she stayed in the game and hit her free throws. Wilson would sit out the entire second half and miss the Aces next game, a loss to the Mystics. She returned over the weekend for a tight win against the Valkyries.

Without their star, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray helped keep Las Vegas in the game. After shooting 28.6% (20% from three) in the 1st quarter, the Aces shot at a 55.8% clip (60% from three) in the 2nd. They were able to seize a 42-40 lead at the half.

The Liberty kept the ball flying around with phenomenal passing and movement in the second half. They only turned the ball over four times in the final two quarters, out-assisting Las Vegas 9-5 and 21-13 overall.

The Aces lead evaporated in an instant, with the home crowd roaring to life as New York hit clutch buckets, including an and-1 to tie the game.

It was Sabrina Ionescu who paved the way to victory for New York, finishing with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. It was her third consecutive game with 20+ points and 5+ rebounds and assists and 6th career showing with 25+ points and 5+ rebounds/assists, a WNBA record.

With Wilson out, New York were able to stay in control of the rebound battle, something they’ve had trouble with even before the injury to Jonquel Jones. In addition to Ionescu’s eight, four other players recorded four or more boards. It was only the third time New York outrebounded opponents in the 12 games without Jones.

“Rebounding was an issue before [Jonquel] went down,” said the Liberty head coach. “We can’t always rely on JJ, so it’s good to see a full team performance on rebounding”

Leonie Fiebich matched her career high with nine rebounds, leading all players. Her impact has been vital since returning from EuroBasket, especially with the short bench.

Leionie Fiebich made her long-awaited return to the Liberty lineup. She matched a career-high with 9 rebounds against Las Vegas and set a career-best with 21 points vs Atlanta. (Photo: NY Liberty, Brandon Todd)

“I’ve focused more on attacking the rebounds,” said Fiebich postgame. “I noticed I was doing a lot of boxing out but waiting for other players to go for the rebound, so I’m just trying to attack the ball more.”

It looked like the Liberty were in serious trouble against the Dream on Sunday as they found themselves outscored 26-13 after the first quarter. New York shot a miserable 28.9% from the floor in the first half, but were able to keep the deficit within 11 at the break.

In the second half, New York tried to claw their way back. They previously overcame a 17-point deficit to Atlanta earlier this season, and they staged another remarkable run in the 3rd quarter. This time New York doubled Atlanta’s points in the quarter, entering the 4th with a 55-53 lead. They would go on to win 79-72.

This time Fiebich dominated on the offensive end, setting a career high with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Just like against the Aces, New York were able to win the assist battle. Their 24-18 edge over Atlanta was their 8th time out-assisting opponents, and they are 8-0 in those games.

Following Wednesday’s matchup with Caitlin Clark and the Fever, a few members of the Liberty are heading to Indianapolis for the All-Star festivities. Sabrina Ionescu will be playing alongside Clark, while she’ll face off against NY teammate Breanna Stewart.

The WNBA All-Star draft also featured the first ever head coach trade, meaning the Liberty’s Sandy Brondello will be leading Team Clark while Cheryl Reeve takes over on team Collier.

The 2025 WNBA All Star Game tips off on Saturday, July 19 at 8:30pm. New York returns to regular season action on Tuesday the 22 for another matchup against Indiana.

The Nuclear Power Revolution Reaches New York

BQE Admin on July 2, 2025

Politcal Whisperer

By Robert Hornak

You know an important election is approaching when elected representatives abandon the long-standing political ideology of their party and actually take actions that many people consider long overdue. 

That very thing just happened. Gov. Kathy Hochul, despite generally strong opposition from democrats, just announced that she has directed The New York Power Authority, the utility owned by the state, to build a new nuclear reactor in upstate NY. This new facility will provide approximately half the energy that the 2.0 GW Indian Point facility provided before it was closed.

The closing of Indian Point is considered by most people to be the perfect storm of policy failure. It was ordered by the Cuomo-Hochul administration with no plan to make up for the loss of 25% of the supply being provided by Indian Point to NYC. The fallout was the loss of 1,000 good-paying jobs at the facility and economic activity at surrounding local businesses. 

Ultimately, three new natural gas fired power plants were built that replaced 1.8 GW of the energy lost. Nevertheless, energy costs in NY have been skyrocketing as demand grows. Rolling blackouts have become a constant summer concern as we just witnessed in south Queens where 300,000 homes lost power during a summer heatwave. 

Meanwhile, other states have embraced the new nuclear revolution and the new technologies that have been created in recent decades that are far superior to the tech used when most of our current nuclear facilities were built over 50 years ago. Just as we’ve witnessed with the space program, nobody is looking to use the old 1950’s tech that Indian Point was created with.

Hochul made sure to drive that point home in her announcement, proclaiming, “This is not your grandparents’ nuclear reactor. You’re not going to see this in a movie starring Jane Fonda,” in a reference to Fonda’s 1970’s movie The China Syndrome that nearly killed the nuclear power industry by fantastically fictionalizing the worst case scenario of a nuclear reactor meltdown. This was in spite of the reality that we never had a nuclear plant failure or a single death associated with nuclear energy in the U.S.

In recent years many states have realized the insanity of denying the potential of nuclear power to meet future energy needs and have overturned bans on new nuclear plants. Texas, struggling with its recent self-inflicted energy shortfall from a reliance on new, unreliable wind and solar plants, has just approved a $350 million fund to build new nuclear plants. 

Some of our largest tech companies, including Amazon and Google, who have incredible energy needs to power server farms have also begun investing in nuclear energy to power their operations.

And, of course, there were the recent Executive Orders signed by President Trump to speed up the process for the Nuclear Regulatory Agency to approve new permits and generally make building new nuclear reactors much faster. 

All this is welcome news to most New Yorkers who have been hit with massive electricity bills in recent years that are making living in NY unaffordable for many people. Crushingly high energy bills are just one more reason that there has been an exodus of people from New York to lower cost of living, low tax states like Florida.

But while welcome news, this just scratches the surface of the problem and the need. Many areas upstate are anxious to be the site for this new plant and the many good paying jobs and economic activity it will bring. Unemployment upstate has been abysmal and the exodus out of NY has hit upstate the hardest. 

This, however, should be a first step to making NY a leader in building a nuclear powered future. Communities all across upstate would be thrilled to get a reactor that would revive their local economy while providing desperately needed, reliable and affordable energy for downstate. 

This would be a win-win for everyone. Will Hochul embrace this long overdue win for New Yorkers and build on it or will this just be a one-time election season stunt? Maybe the pressure of reelection will make this more than just a gimmick. Time will tell.

Robert Hornak is a professional political consultant who has previously served as the Deputy Director of the Republican Assembly Leader’s NYC office and as Executive Director of the Queens Republican Party. He can be reached at rahornak@gmail.com and @roberthornak on X.

JJ: “Will The Garden Party Continue In The Eastern Conference Finals?”

BQE Admin on May 20, 2025

By John Jastremski

For the first time in 25 years, the New York Knicks are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Last Friday night, the Knicks sent the Celtics packing for Cancun with a performance that will live forever in Knicks lure. 

The Knicks finished off the Celtics in a wire to wire, resounding 119-81 victory and to be honest the final score doesn’t even do the beatdown justice. 

The Knicks finished off the defending champs, who lost star Jayson Tatum after Game 4 due to a devastating achilles injury, but that said, don’t let the Tatum injury take away from the Knicks vibes of the past series. 

The Knicks were cruising to a 3-1 series lead advantage before the injury took place late in the 4th quarter. 

They were the better team in the series and that was obvious in almost every single 4th quarter of the series. 

Now, the Knicks are four wins away from a place they have not been since 1999. The NBA Finals. 

How appropriate is it that the team that’s standing in their way of an Eastern Conference Crown is the same team that knocked out the Knicks a year ago. 

The Indiana Pacers. 

Make no mistake, the Pacers are a very dangerous team. 

They are 9 plus deep in their rotation, they place a ridiculously fast pace that is tough to contend with and Rick Carlisle is one of the best coaches in the NBA. 

In addition, Tyrese Haliburton has emerged as one of the game’s biggest stars and has been lights out this entire postseason despite some of the “overrated” criticism that was thrown his way earlier in the season. 

The Knicks will have their hands full with the Pacers, but there’s a lot to like coming into the series. 

The Knicks toughness and defensive intensity is an element that the Pacers have not matched up with quite yet this postseason run. 

In addition, the Knicks did not have Karl Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges in their series a year ago.

Both Towns and Bridges had brilliant regular season games against the Pacers in the regular season.

I expect both to pay major dividends in this series.

The Pacers will be a formidable opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, with the grit and toughness of this Knicks group combined with the fact that they have Jalen Brunson who is the best player in the series, it’s impossible for me to go against the wave. 

Knicks in a hard fought 7 games.

And if that happens, oh baby what a party on 7th avenue will it be.

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts following every Knicks ECF Game. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite following the Mets postgame on SNY.

JJ: A Game 1 Shock To The System

BQE Admin on May 6, 2025

By John Jastremski

 

I won’t beat around the bush.

I went into the Eastern Conference Semifinals with zero expectations for New York Knicks success.

After all, could you blame me?

The Celtics are reigning NBA Champions and have dominated the Knicks for the last two seasons.

Boston was 4-0 against the Knicks and three of the games were non competitive. 

The oddsmakers shared my sense of pessimism for the series.

Game 1 was following the same path.

The Knicks were down 20 points in the 3rd quarter despite hideous Celtics 3 point shooting.

It looked like another lost night until it wasn’t… The Knicks responded with incredible grit, toughness and resilience.

OG Anunoby sparked the team in the 3rd quarter and got them back in the game on both ends of the floor.

Of course the captain Jalen Brunson was up to his usual late game tricks. However, in Game 1 the Knicks bailed their Captain out.

Brunson missed a layup that would’ve won the game in regulation, a missed layup that I thought for sure would doom the Knicks chances of winning Game 1. 

Thankfully for Knicks fans, the much maligned Mikal Bridges came to the rescue!

Bridges’ defense on the Celtics wings was off the charts and his 5 points in overtime ended up being the difference in the game. Not bad for a guy who played over 50 minutes!

All season, the toughness of this current Knicks team has been questioned, despite the regular season success.

So far this postseason, it has been up to the challenge.

The team has handled adversity and has answered the bell in tough situations.

Will it be enough to beat the Celtics? I for one am not quite ready to go that far, but I like the feel and look of this series a lot more than I did come Monday afternoon.

Unlike the first round series against Detroit, the Knicks are not expected to win. All of the pressure falls on Boston in this series.

The Celtics may be reigning champs, but their road to a title was an easy one last year.

Let’s see if the Knicks can make it rather bumpy…

 

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network after every Knicks Playoff game on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me on Honda Sports Nite following Mets postgame.

JJ: “An All Time New York Coaching Job. Now, The Fun Begins”

BQE Admin on March 18, 2025

By John Jastremski

Let’s be real about something right out of the gate.
There haven’t been a whole lot of great coaching performances by the coaches of our teams over the past decade plus.
Yeah I can give you Tom Coughlin in 2011 leading the Giants to a Super Bowl or Tom Thibodeau resurrecting a dead Knicks franchise, but the examples aren’t littered with great examples in this town since 2010.
I’ve been doing content in this city since 2011 and I’ve lived here my entire life, so that should give this next statement even more perspective.
Rick Pitino’s job with St John’s is one of the best coaching jobs I have seen in my lifetime in New York Sports.
No exaggeration, no hyperbole.
Rick Pitino has brought a program that has been super irrelevant on the national stage for two decades to a place it has not been in a long, long time.
Last week was a party for everyone associated with the St Johns Red Storm basketball program.
After winning their first Big East regular season crown since the days of Lou Carnesecca, the Johnnies completed their first Big East Tournament crown since 2000.
Madison Square Garden was a sea of red for the Johnnie’s dominant second half against the Creighton Blue Jays.
The Red Storm fell behind in both the semi final on Friday night and Saturday’s Championship game, but the common theme in both games was the relentless, top notch defense that overwhelmed their opponents on the Garden Floor.
In a year in which the basketball community mourned the loss of the great Lou Carnesecca, Pitino honored his legacy in the best way imaginable.
He won and he won big.
A sense of accomplishment, pride and good feelings are all over the Red Storm program at the moment.
However, the work is not done.
The NCAA Tournament begins this Thursday and St Johns has a chance to make some more history.
The program has not won an NCAA Tournament game in 25 years.
They are a 2 seed taking on Omaha. The streak of futility must end.
Newsflash, it will. Barring disaster.
Regardless of what happens, the next few weeks, this season will go down as an all timer for the St John’s program.
It’s already the year that brought the program back to life.
There are more memories to make, can Rick Pitino work his magic in the NCAA Tournament like he has done so many times throughout his illustrious coaching career?
We are about to find out…
You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on The Ringer Podcast Network every Sunday & Thursday on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite at 11 PM on SNY. 

JJ: “Super Fatigue, But A Super Matchup!”

BQE Admin on February 4, 2025

By: John Jastremski

For the second time in three years, it will be the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles for all the marbles down in New Orleans. 

It’s not necessarily a matchup that most of the country and especially New York is dying to see once again.

The level of Kansas City Chief fatigue has reached an all time high.

This is what happens when you dominate, people get sick of seeing you.

The Chiefs have been in the Super Bowl five of the last six years. So for Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the gang.

It’s a whole lot of, been there, done that.

You’re not going to get the same sense of Philadelphia Eagles fatigue throughout the country, but after all we are living in New York City.

For many Giants fans getting set for Super Sunday, the idea of the hated Eagles with former Giants star Saquon Barkley leading the way is a nauseating thought. 

Look, I totally get the sense of not having a particular rooting interest in this year’s big game. 

You may not like either team, but it doesn’t mean that Super Bowl 59 doesn’t have the makings of another potential classic.

The Kansas City Chiefs in case you missed the memo, don’t win in decisive fashion. 

Not their thing. 

If you are going to witness the first 3-peat in the Super Bowl era, odds are it will be an exhilarating, edge of your seat Kansas City Chiefs drama in which they somehow, someway find a way to win.

The Eagles go into the game with the better roster. 

They are a better team that lost a nail biter to the Chiefs two years ago because of the emergence of Saquon Barkley and what he has provided the running game. 

Can Philly avenge the loss from two years ago and stop history? 

Or is it as simple as Reid, Mahomes & crew being as inevitable as it gets… 

You may not like either team, but come Sunday, you’ll have a lot to ponder at your Super Sunday extravaganza.

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York every Sunday & Thursday on The Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts. You can watch me nightly at 11 PM on Honda Sports Nite on SNY.

Food Charity Needs Increase in Glendale & Ridgewood

glendaleregstg on April 3, 2024

In the spring of 2024, amidst the ongoing recovery from a global pandemic, the neighborhoods of Glendale and Ridgewood in Queens, New York, are grappling with a rapidly intensifying crisis that belies their suburban affluence. With median home prices reaching $862,000 in Glendale and soaring to $1.2 million in Ridgewood, these communities present a façade of prosperity. However, beneath this veneer lies a starkly different reality: an escalating demand for food assistance that challenges the perception of suburban wealth.

The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH), a vanguard in the fight against food insecurity, has reported a startling 181% increase in pantry services in Ridgewood and an even more concerning 281% increase in Glendale. These figures not only highlight a burgeoning crisis but also underscore the organization’s critical role in meeting an unprecedented demand for food assistance amidst dwindling resources. Despite facing challenges such as a decrease in funding, partly due to the exodus of donors from New York City, TCAH has managed to distribute over 25 million nutritious meals to more than 2 million community members since the onset of the pandemic. This response was unparalleled, significantly eclipsing their pre-pandemic impact and underscoring their pivotal role in the community’s resilience.

The underlying causes of this surge in food insecurity are multifaceted. The United Way’s True Cost of Living policy brief sheds light on the grim economic realities faced by residents, which are far removed from the average incomes that the home prices in these areas might suggest. Despite an average annual household income of $94,274 in these neighborhoods, with a median income of $77,350, the cost of living in New York City, amplified by the pandemic’s economic impact, has pushed an increasing number of families towards the brink of financial instability. This discrepancy highlights the inadequacy of median incomes to cover basic living expenses, including healthcare, childcare, and transportation, let alone the inflated housing costs.

The escalating demand for food assistance in Glendale and Ridgewood is a reflection of a broader societal issue, where the true cost of living far exceeds what many residents earn. This situation has resulted in a hidden crisis of hunger and food insecurity in communities that, on the surface, appear to thrive economically. Dr. Melony Samuels, the Founder & CEO of TCAH, emphasizes that behind every statistic is a real person or family facing difficult choices between paying bills and ensuring food security. “The numbers are a wake-up call,” she states, advocating for greater awareness and action to address this pressing issue.

TCAH’s efforts to combat hunger in these neighborhoods go beyond mere statistics. They represent a beacon of hope and solidarity, showcasing the importance of community organizations in providing essential services and support during times of crisis. The organization’s work, particularly in serving 15% of its client base from Glendale and Ridgewood, illustrates the critical need for both immediate and long-term solutions to urban food insecurity.

As TCAH continues to navigate the challenges of increased demand for food assistance, their work is a poignant reminder of the hidden hunger that persists in the midst of apparent abundance. It calls for a collective response from policymakers, community leaders, and the public to ensure that the fundamental right to food is not compromised by economic disparities. The situation in Glendale and Ridgewood exemplifies the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of food insecurity, ensuring that no resident is left behind in the quest for a prosperous and equitable future.

 

Source: 

  • Data, The Campaign Against Hunger internal data systems
  • https://unitedwaynyc.org/true-cost-of-living/ 

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