Theory 9 ended up giving out more than 100 food bags during its Good Friday food pantry on April 3 at Our Lady of Angels Church, located at 2860 Sedgwick Ave. in Kingsbridge.
Held outside the church immediately after the conclusion of Good Friday service, at 12:30 p.m., this food distribution provided congregants of the church with a little something extra for their fridges as they left the church.
Volunteers from Theory 9 handed out over 100 bags in under ten minutes. These grocery bags included perishables, canned goods, milk and goody bags from Bronx Community Board 8.
Theory 9 Co-founders Shakir “Chip” Seagers and Izaiah “Zeek” Barrow led this event alongside Rising Kings Youth Basketball Coach David “Super Dave” Seager. Barrow said this event was put together after Theory 9’s Spectrum Festival the prior day, when the three of them noticed they still had plenty of food bags left over.
“Chip and I laughed at the fact we might have to host a pop-up pantry because we had so many bags left over from the celebration,” Barrow said. “Then the Deacon [of Our Lady of Angels Church] reached out with his Good Friday blessings, and here we are.”
In addition to this food pantry and the Spectrum Festival, Theory 9 had recently held another food distribution on Friday, March 27. These efforts reflect the organization’s hands-on approach to make sure resources are distributed and maximized for the largest community impact.
Theory 9, which is focused primarily on youth development and community support, has been working alongside the New York Common Pantry for more than four years. Throughout this partnership, the organizations have provided services on a monthly basis to address food insecurity in Kingsbridge and the greater Bronx community.
One such service is a food pantry on the last Friday of the month in front of the Marie Curie High School for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions. The next scheduled food pantry is for April 24 at 12 p.m.
Efforts like the Theory 9 food distributions have proven to be a steady source of support for many Bronx families. The fact that so many food bags were given out in such a short period of time on Good Friday shows just how great the need is for food and other consistent, community-based support among many Bronx families.
“We happily do this work knowing we are giving back to our community,” David Seagers said. “And we’re going to keep showing up for our people every chance we get.”
The organization is actively seeking more volunteers and sponsors to help sustain and grow its efforts. Those interested in learning more about volunteer and sponsorship opportunities with Theory 9 can reach out to the organization on their website, Wearetheory9.com, or via @WeAreTheory9 on Instagram.
