Daily News from New York, New York • 95

-z-s3sac---2- CO xl vlVmfn 1 METRO iS; f-'v NEIGHBORHOOD Empty boasts emptier bellies for food over the last year, with 52 saying the demand had increased greatly. Yet the survey says that four times as many agencies suffered cuts in food and money as obtained increases. "Hunger in the city has extended into many more people's lives than ever before," said Lucy Cabrera, president and CEO of the Bronx-based Food for Surviv A record number of such agencies have been forced to take drastic measures, such as rationing their food by turning away hungry New Yorkers, reducing portion size and cutting hours of operation, according to the report. Many more have had to close altogether. "In the richest city in the richest coun try in the world, thars simply unacceptable," Berg pointed out.

Yet the situation may become even more critical. Those on the front lines the people who run the city's pantries and kitchens over ALB0R RUIZ al, the country's largest food bank. "We're now seeing more single mothers with children standing on line at food pantries." Another worrisome finding is that 22 of those asking for food aid were in families 7 Hunger in New York is nothing new. For many years, long lines at the city's soup kitchens and food pantries have been as much a city reality as the stock market. But there are many people in the city who think it does not have to be that way.

"Hunger and poverty in New York are not a permanent, natural part of the city's landscape," said Joel Berg, execu-J tive director of the New York City Coali-I tion Against Hunger. "They are created jf by and can be solved by basic gov-I' emmental and economic actions." P- Yet judging by "No Recovery for the if Hungry," this year's comprehensive an-I nual survey of local hunger, conducted I by the coalition, the government is far from taking necessary action. I Demand at the city's more than 1,000 food pantries and soup kitchens contin-S ued to skyrocket faster than their ability I to meet that demand, said the report, which was released Tuesday. food stamp program continues to lag. Between August 2001 and August 2003, unemployment rose by 24 nation--ally and by 29 in New York.

During that period, food stamp participation rose by 25 nationally, but only by 9 in the city. Half a million fewer city residents receive food stamps today than eight years ago, because of the massive number of people who were removed from the city's food stamp rolls in the 1990s. Activists say increased participation in the federally funded food stamp program is the most cost-effective way to feed a greater number of hungry New Yorkers. In reading "No Recovery for the Hungry," one thing becomes crystal clear: For all the hype and chest-thumping about the improving economy, there has been no recovery for the city's hungry people. Hunger is still a shameful reality that hangs over the city like a dark cloud.

E-mail aruizeditnydailynews.com it I whelmingly believe things will get worse. Eighty-three percent said the need for food would likely increase over the next six months, with 47 saying the need would likely increase "greatly." Demand for food at these agencies rose 26 in the last year and 46 from 2000-2003. Eighty-three percent of the agencies faced some increased demand with at least one person working. The number of the city's "working poor," immigrants, homeless and senior citizens who were forced to depend on food from charities continued to rise. To make matters worse, at the same time that hunger and unemployment are soaring in the city, participation in the OlflTiullfi i tl 1 it 1 i ill ufoOTOSftu VDdDuODHC 11 "A vx -I SL v.

It i I I ilH ill mm By 1 33rd and 34th Precincts was 520. In 2002, the last year for which data is available, it had declined to 479. Domestic violence is a big problem in the Dominican Republic, where many Washington Heights residents were born. With a total population of 8 million the same as New York City the Dominican Republic reports 112 women have been killed by their partners or ex-partners through mid-October of this year. In New York City, 46 people have been killed in family-related homicides in the same period, 10 in Manhattan, according to the city's Office to Combat Domestic Violence.

Mireya Cruz, director of Nuevo Amanecer (New Dawn), the domestic violence program at the Dominican Women's Development Center, says she is seeing more willingness among women to come forward to denounce violence. "The past two months, we sent eight women to shelters," she said. "We have sent three this month, and this is a small program. They are taking the risk." Cruz, who has been working with women for 17 years, said one change she has seen is that the men and women who are engaging in domestic violence are younger than in the past. Since last year, she said, the age range of women seeking help from Nuevo Amanecer has dropped to as young as 19.

Before, their clients were more likely to be in their 30s and 40s. "This year, a lot of the women are under 25, and some of them started engaging in abusive relationships when they were 12," Cruz said. By MARi'A ISABEL SOLD EV HA SPECIAL TO THE NEWS The picture of a beautiful Latina in her wedding dress appears in posters, newspaper clips, invitations and flyers against domestic violence in Maria Lizardo's office. "That's Gladys," said Lizardo, director of social services for the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, a Washington Heights-based community organization that runs one of the largest domestic violence programs in the area. Gladys Ricart, a Dominican immigrant, was killed on her wedding day by an ex-boyfriend four years ago.

She has become the symbol of the fight against domestic violence in the Latino community, especially for Dominicans. On the fourth anniversary of Gladys' death last September, about 100 women marched in wedding gowns through Washington Heights, Harlem and the Bronx to protest domestic abuse. Awareness about the problem is rising in the Dominican community, said Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhat-tan), the former director of Washington Heights Victim Services. "More women are reporting the abuse," he said. Last year, the 33rd and 34th Precincts, which cover Washington Heights, worked on 5,748 domestic incident reports.

The numbers place Washington Heights as the second most violent area in Manhattan when it comes to domestic cases after Harlem. In 1999, the year Gladys was killed, the average number of monthly cases iri v. i I -X-i i -3 I 1 -'v. DAVfO HANDSCHUH DAJLY NEWS 3 ro G3 Susie Castillo, Miss USA, graces Big Apple float in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on Thursday. Also earning his stripes on Daily News-sponsored float was star New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams.

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