New York: Richest city does poor job of feeding its own

From [HERE] New York, like no other city in the nation, is a place of startling contrasts and deep disparities.

It has the richest mayor in the country, who is also its richest citizen, presiding over what Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, calls "growing hunger, poverty and inequality of wealth."

A recent Gallup survey supports Berg's description. New York City has some of the hungriest congressional districts in the nation, said the report conducted on behalf of the Washington-based Food Research and Action Center. In seven of the city's 13 congressional districts, people faced severe food hardships in 2009-2010. For all the talk about economic recovery, more than 20% of residents in nine of those districts lacked money for food, the report said.

New York has the dubious distinction of having the hungriest district in the nation: The 16th Congressional District in the South Bronx, where almost one in three residents cannot afford enough food.

"The data shows that our worst fears about this recession in the Bronx have come true - people are going hungry," said Rep. José Serrano (above), who represents the 16th District. "This is a crisis that I intend to confront head-on."

But hunger isn't a phenomenon exclusive to South Bronx. The 10th Congressional District in central Brooklyn, with close to 30% of its people facing food hardship, had the sixth-highest rate out of the country's 436 congressional districts. In fact, one-fifth of households with kids in metropolitan New York lacked food money, and every single district in the city faced significant food hardships, the report said.

"The fact that more than half of New York City's districts face severe food hardships is shocking and unacceptable," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, who called the report "a real wakeup call" and vowed to "do everything [he] can to combat this problem."

Yet, if anything, the city's contradictions have become sharper.

While for hundreds of thousands of people putting food on the table is a daily struggle, Forbes magazine reported that New York is home to more billionaires - 58 - than any city in the U.S.

While the stock market is soaring, more than one in five New Yorkers - roughly 1.8million people - live below the federal poverty line. And another one in five are in constant danger of joining them.

"All levels of government need to take immediate action to reverse the city's growing hunger, poverty and inequality of wealth," Berg said.

Don't hold your breath. With the state facing a $10 billion deficit, effective action to alleviate the hunger crisis is a long shot. What should be expected are Draconian cuts to education, health care and other social services. Cuts so drastic that even Mayor Bloomberg is outraged over the $132.5 billion state budget deal announced Sunday. He said the budget fails to provide the $600 million the city needs to avoid massive layoffs.

Yet, both Gov. Cuomo and Bloomberg opposed extending the millionaire's tax that expires in December, although since it was established in 2009 it has brought in as much as $5 billion annually.

In other words, the coming months will be the usual smooth sailing for the richest New Yorkers, but the majority of city residents will find themselves struggling to stay afloat in even rougher economic waters.

Get ready for a New York of even more startling contrasts and deeper disparities.