Jess Powers

How to Get Food Help

Are you or someone you know looking for food help this holiday season?

CIDNY can help New Yorkers with disabilities connect to food pantries in your neighborhood and/or apply for long term food help.

Low income New Yorkers with disabilities can get food help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps). Low income seniors might qualify for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) or the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP).

Hunger Free America has guides to food pantries by borough available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. It is best to call each location before you go to find out if they are accessible.

If you’re looking for a food box for Thanksgiving or a Thanksgiving meal, you can contact food pantries, soup kitchens, community centers, or religious organizations. A Google search for “community centers” in your neighborhood will show senior centers, settlement houses, and other community centers that may offer food boxes.

If you currently receive SNAP, you can use your EBT card at Greenmarkets to get Health Bucks. For every $5 you spend, the NYC Health Department will give you $2 in Health Bucks to use at the market. Look for the booth at the market.

If you’re looking for recipes and tips on cooking healthy food on a budget, Good and Cheap is available free online in English and Spanish.

Get a NY Connects Benefits Checkup

NY Connects at CIDNY is the trusted place to go for free, unbiased information about services, resources, and supports for New Yorkers of all ages and with any type of disability.

Counselors at NY Connects provide guidance and coordination for participants with disabilities as they go through eligibility and assessment processes for benefits and services. They can also help when you are completing applications and enrolling in public assistance benefits, like Medicaid, Medicare, housing applications, SNAP applications, Social Security benefits, and more.

To be contacted by a NY Connects Benefits Counselor and receive your free benefits check-up, please fill out this short form. A NY Connects Counselor will be in touch by the end of next business day. You can also contact us at 844-862-7930.

Tell Your Senators to Uphold Disability Rights by Opposing the Nomination of Judge Kavanaugh

CIDNY joins AAPD and others in opposing the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh’s previous rulings and statements on health care, self-determination, employment, and education threaten the rights of all Americans with disabilities.

The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law lists 10 Reasons People with Disabilities Should Oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s Nomination:

He is a threat to your health care.
He would allow the President to wield dangerous power.
He is dismissive of the fundamental rights of people with disabilities.
He won’t protect the rights of workers with disabilities.
He would narrow the protections of civil rights laws.
He promotes school voucher programs that leave students with disabilities without key protections.
He discounts the role of the administrative agencies that enforce your rights.
He would allow states to impose restrictive voter ID laws.
He imposes barriers for people seeking justice in courts.
He will not protect the rights of all people, including people with disabilities.

Take Action

Educate yourself and others about Judge Kavanaugh’s record.

Contact your Senators to express your opposition and emphasize the importance of health care and self-determination for all Americans with disabilities. Judge Kavanaugh’s Senate confirmation hearing starts on September 4th – contact your Senators today to oppose to his nomination!

Target States

Senators need to hear from the disability community on how Judge Kavanaugh will roll back disability rights if confirmed. It is especially important to contact Senators from the following states:

Alabama – Senator Doug Jones
Alaska – Senator Lisa Murkowski
Indiana – Senator Joe Donnelly
Maine – Senator Susan Collin
North Dakota – Senator Heidi Heitkamp
Nevada – Senator Dean Heller
West Virginia – Senator Joe Manchin

Call your Senators

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Senators.

Email your Senators

Contacting Congress provides unique links to email your Senators directly.

Engage your Senators through Social Media

Tweet your Senators – find their Twitter handles here.

Job Opportunities for People with Disabilities

These employers are making good faith efforts to recruit, hire, and promote qualified people with disabilities. CIDNY is presenting this information for the benefit of New Yorkers with disabilities who are seeking jobs. Each employer listed below is linked to more information about the opportunities. Please click the employer for more information. We have not examined each opportunity or employer and will do our best to keep these listings current. Click here for opportunities at CIDNY.

Below are additional employers that have made good faith efforts to recruit, hire, and promote qualified people with disabilities.

ASG

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

Disability Solutions @ Ability Beyond

GardaWorld

Honeywell

Keurig Dr. Pepper – Warehouse Picker Order Selector

KPMG

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals

Linde

Lundbeck

Navigant

NYC: ATWORK – the Employment Initiative for New Yorkers with Disabilities

Pepsi

Polaris

PRIDE Industries
Professional Risk Management, Inc.

Additional Opportunities

The New York State Office of the Attorney General’s Constituent Services Bureau (CSB) is seeking a talented undergraduate student for a paid, part-time placement this fall. Full details can be found HERE.

Our colleagues at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) also maintain a job search feature on their website.

For additional job listings from Disability Solutions, please click here.