STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — At exactly 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, the doors of Faith United Methodist Church at 221 Heberton Avenue in Port Richmond swung open, and the flow began—five at a time—into a community room transformed into a market-style bazaar of food and clothing. This is the weekly food pantry, and its director, Lorna Wilson, stood at the entrance, guiding the crowd with calm authority.

“You can start here. It’s five at a time,” she said, as a woman shook a yellow courtesy bag, puffing it up with air in preparation.

A boy, a bag, and a pair of Nikes

A boy, around 10 years old, stepped forward wearing oversized sneakers. His mother moved along the food and grocery line, which began with adult diapers and canned goods, then worked itself toward a pile of overripe pears, sacks of Brus

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