A viral video of city workers throwing out fresh fruit and vegetables sparked outrage over the weekend, prompting the local community to step up.
A viral video taken on Thursday, Sept. 23 shows NYPD officers and Department of Sanitation workers throwing out thousands of dollars of food.
A worker at the stand tells News 12 he remains angry that this happened. He says they are just trying to support their families.
Residents in the Allerton community joined together on Tuesday in support of Diana’s Stand at Pelham Parkway South and White Plains Road.
They say they are shocked that this could happen during a pandemic and want to show their support however possible.
One city agency tells News 12 the video only shows one side of the story--the stand never showed a license and then left the cart unattended.
Bronx resident, Jeremiah Cedeno, says seeing the viral video prompted him to organize a GoFundMe page to reimburse Diana, who he is calling a staple in their community.
In just three days, the page has raised over $10,000.
“There are a lot of low-income neighborhoods. There are a lot of parts particularly in my borough of the Bronx that struggles with food accessibility. And for food to be disposed in such a careless manner and thrown in the garbage, things to be thrown on the floor, it was just hard to watch. It was hard to see,” said Cedeno.
Cedeno says the goal of the page is to raise $15,000. He says that as a community organizer, his vision is for the city to formalize the street vending industry so this never happens again.