A whole bunch of individuals lined up Friday morning at three websites in New York Metropolis, some arriving greater than an hour early, for the chance to snag one of many nation’s hottest commodities: a dozen free eggs.
Folks had been bundled up in opposition to the windy chilly as they stood outdoors a Harlem restaurant, patiently ready to be handed a carton. Lower than 10 minutes later, the 100 cartons had been gone, leaving many empty-handed.
“I heard from the news that they will be giving around, like, 1,500 eggs, or something like that. OK? And I just came because I needed some eggs, and then I’m waiting here in the line, and I don’t see anything,” mentioned Jackeline Tejava, who was in a line that stretched across the block. “They say that the eggs are gone, but it hasn’t been not even more than 20 people, so I don’t know what happened.”
Egg costs hit a report excessive final month because the U.S. contends with a hen flu outbreak, which has compelled poultry farms to slaughter greater than 168 million birds since 2022.
Looking for eggs on grocery retailer cabinets in New York Metropolis could be hit and miss. When they’re in inventory, they are often dear.
Friday’s giveaway was organized by FarmerJawn, a 128-acre (52-hectare) Pennsylvania farm that’s targeted on offering natural meals to underserved communities. FarmerJawn held different egg giveaways Friday in Brooklyn and Queens. The group additionally handed out free cartons in New York final month.
“We’re doing this egg giveaway because, as food producers, we believe it’s our responsibility to support the communities that support us,” the group mentioned in a written assertion. It partnered with a neighborhood butchery and a upstate New York farm to prepare Friday’s occasions.
“Food is medicine, and everyone – especially the often-forgotten middle class – deserves access to it,” Farmerjawn mentioned.
Different organizations, together with church buildings, have just lately held egg giveaways in New York and elsewhere across the nation, together with Las Vegas, Chicago, Philadelphia and Richland County, South Carolina.
The U.S. Division of Agriculture expects egg costs to rise 41% this yr over final yr’s common of $3.17 per dozen. A carton of eggs in New York Metropolis can typically run twice or thrice that quantity, relying on the shop.
Marion Johnson, who waited greater than two hours on the Harlem giveaway however did not get a free carton, mentioned she will’t afford eggs.
“They’re so expensive,” she mentioned. “This is not fair. … They know everybody gonna be on line like this.”
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
