West Side community spreads holiday cheer

By Amanda O'Leary and Sametra Polkah-Toe
Bengal News reporters
 For most, the arrival of winter holidays is usually a joyous time filled with love, family, cheerfulness and warmth. But while many families across the West Side will soon be gathering around the table for their hot, homemade turkey dinners, many others will be gathering around the crowded doorways of soup kitchens and food pantries trying to evoke some sense of a holiday among themselves and their families.
 Fortunately for them, many West Side organizations are keeping in line with the holiday spirit of giving.

Loaves and Fishes food pantry prepares for food a giveaway

 For families needing assistance in purchasing food items, Angel Food Ministries will be delivering holiday food packages at a price that is 25 percent less than in the supermarkets. Foods in these packages are bought directly from supermarkets or retailers, are not out of date and can be purchased with food stamps.
 “Our food packages are so popular because they’re such a great deal,” said Marlyn Euler, a receptionist at the company. “Not only are you getting quality meats, vegetables, and fruits, but there are many options available such as gluten-free, or Thanksgiving themed dinners.”
 For families looking for a hot meal, many West Side organizations will be holding dinner parties on or around the exact holiday dates. Concerned Ecumenical Ministry, a West Side human service agency, expected about 300 people this year at its annual Thanksgiving dinner. While its primary population resides on the West Side, anyone is welcome to a hot meal along with care packages consisting of socks, mittens, gloves, sweatshirts and other winter necessities.
 Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen, which hosted the event in conjunction with the Concerned Ecumenical Ministries on Nov. 24, will be giving away free turkeys to families in need as well as referrals to a toy giveaway. Children can also receive backpacks filled with nutritious foods to eat during winter break in place of the free school lunches they’d normally receive during this time.

Loaves and Fishes makes holiday food giveaways "essential."

 “It is absolutely essential that we provide these types of services for the community,” said ministries executive director Catherine Rieley-Goddard. “Many of these children come from single parent, low-income families that may not have the means to buy warm clothing or provide a sufficient meal. But that’s why we’re here, to help as much as we can and hopefully make a difference.”
 West Side Community Services will also be hosting a youth Christmas party complete with music, food, entertainment and even an appearance from Santa Claus. Each child will be given a gift and the families who are most in need will receive food baskets. Community services also hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for all senior citizens in the community, many of who do not have much family to celebrate with.  Along with dinner, guests were treated to live performances and bingo with gifts serving as prizes rather than money. Then on New Year’s Eve, 10 of the center’s most dedicated seniors will receive a complementary dinner at Salvatore’s Italian Garden located in Depew.
 “We really like to do special things for our seniors,” said Danette Porto, human service coordinator. “For many, the center is the only real place for them to socialize and feel as if they’re still integrated in this society. They’ve really become the lifeline of this place and we like to show them we appreciate them.”
 The free dinner at Salvatore’s along with many other facets of these holiday parties are truly made possible by the generous donations of the Western New Yorkers. Most, if not all, of the food served or given away is provided by the Food Bank of Western New York or from local businesses such as Tops or the Lexington Co-op. Individual donations range from foods grown in neighborhood gardens all the way to large monetary donations given by corporations or concerned citizens. Many organizations also team up to share money and resources when trying to give a holiday event.
 While funding can sometimes be a hassle, the impact of these holiday events makes it all worth it.
 “Words can’t explain the sheer joy you feel when you see the gratitude our clients display when attending these events,” Rieley-Goddard said. “It feels so good hearing a simple thank you and knowing how happy you’ve made someone’s day.”

Edited by Allison Dunckle and Kaitlin Fritz

Local gardeners learn how to winterize

By Ashley Brown and Brittany Sherman

Bengal News reporters

 If the city of Buffalo were known for anything, it would be known for its unbearable winters. The term ‘unbearable,’ however, may be considered a stretch for Buffalo natives who know nothing but the relentless snowfall and zero-degree days.

 On the other hand, gardeners in the area have become passionate about incorporating exotic plants into their gardens during the summer season. Suddenly the term ‘unbearable’ becomes more than appropriate for plants like dahlias and elephant ears that thrive in dry, humid climates.

 So what is a gardener in Buffalo supposed to do with their exotic plants during the long winter months? Giving up hope certainly isn’t an option.

 Urban Roots, a West Side urban agriculture and gardening center, teamed up with veteran gardener David Clark to teach locals how to overwinter their tropical outdoor plants so they can have a flourishing garden in the year to come.

Gardener David Clark talks about getting non-native plants accustomed to Buffalo:

 The overwintering workshop is part of a grant given to Urban Roots from Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo Inc.

 “We had to do a series of gardening workshops that are targeted toward community gardeners,” said Kristen Armstrong, a member of the education committee for Urban Roots. “The overwintering workshop with Dave Clark is one of the 30-plus workshops we’ve put on that help people learn basic gardening techniques.”

 “There are some plants that can be outside during the summer, but not during the winter,” said Armstrong. “They have to be brought in and preserved in different ways to make it through the winter season, and Dave offers informative step-by-step information on how to do that with different plants.”

 So when is the right time to start the overwintering process?

 “With bulb items you will want to leave out for a couple more weeks, like until the middle of October,” said Clark.  “These will definitely need to get some frost on them.”

 Once the temperatures have dropped and the plants have received their fair share of frost, the overwintering process begins.

 “The first thing you will want to do with your bulb products is dig the plant out of the ground,” said Clark.

 Bulb products tended to be the focus of Clark’s how-to, because they are generally the most common products in Buffalo’s exotic gardens.

 “Next you will want to scrub the plant nice and clean,” Clark said. “Dust it with a little fungicide powder. “

 “You’ll want to store the plant in a paper bag,” Clark said. “You will most definitely want to write the name of the plant on the outside of the bag because trust me, you are not going to remember in the springtime what plant is in that bag.”

 “Then you’ll want to put that bag in a tray,” Clark said. “You’ll put a little sawdust around it, but not on the bulb. Then store it either in an unheated garage, basement or crawl space.”

 Local gardener Onda Simmons said the workshop helped her learn how to extend the life of plants from season to season.

 “I learned a lot at this workshop,” she said. “I learned how to pull my plants that I really want to bring back next year.”

 Armstrong said such  person-to-person workshops blend the idea of community and education, and that's better than getting information off the Internet or from a book.

 When do the plants emerge from hiding?

 “We’ll see these plants again around June 1 or Memorial Day,” Clark said. “That tends to be the magic number here in Western New York.” 

Edited by Melissa Kania and Paul Kasprzak

PUSH against National Fuel incentive program

PUSH supporters rally against National Fuel's program

By Mike Gambini
and Ken Obstarczyk
Bengal News reporters
 West Side residents and PUSH Buffalo, People United for Sustainable Housing, are preparing for a final fight against a local utility.
 PUSH is tied up in a battle with National Fuel over the renewal of its Conservation Incentive Program, CIP.
 CIP is a set of conservation initiatives with four major components: appliance rebates, lowering usage for low-income customers, education and valuation. CIP was initiated in 2007 as a three-year program funded at $10.8 million annually. If the program were renewed, funding would be $10.09 million through a delivery modification charge.
 The formal review period for renewal of the CIP ends on Dec. 1. The New York State Public Service Commission will make its final decision on whether it plans to accept the extension of the CIP, or put it on hold for further review sometime after the review period ends.
 In a letter sent Sept. 2 to Public Service Commission chairman Garry A. Brown and PUSH executive director Aaron Bartley. National Fuel outlined a revision of the CIP in a letter.
 The new version includes more weatherization efforts in low-income neighborhoods and project contractors to be required to hire workers from high-poverty census tracts.
 PUSH members are upset because less than a third of the $10.09 million funding the CIP benefits low-income customers $2.94 million total.
 Bartley expressed his frustration with National Fuel’s approach.
 “We don’t even know where some of the resources are going right now,” Bartley said.
 “That’s a critical part of our proposal -- we need to see how these monies are being spent and what zip codes are getting them.”
 People involved in this issue think PUSH may have taken its cause a little too far.
 On Sept. 21, National Fuel obtained a temporary restraining order against PUSH citing “escalating illegal, unprofessional and harassing tactics to promote its narrow agenda against the company,” according to a press release.
 In the same press release, David A. Smith, chairman and chief executive officer for National Fuel, expressed the company’s position on the matter in a press release issued Sept. 21:
 “It is unfortunate that PUSH has driven its agenda to such an extreme as to lead us into court to seek protection for the company, its employees, customers and our facilities. Given the egregious conduct of PUSH, its leaders and members, we will not, under any circumstances, partner with PUSH, nor will we support organizations that do so.”
 PUSH attended a hearing in Albany on Sept. 28 where the Public Service Commission heard the organization’s stance on the CIP.
 New York State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, said he is trying to facilitate a dialogue between PUSH and National Fuel. Hoyt said a meeting with the Public Service Commission is a good place to start negotiations.
 “The (Public Service Commission) isn’t going to say, ‘Whatever you want PUSH,’ but I do think the fact that PUSH is getting an audience -- two hours with the commissioner, is promising,” Hoyt said.
 PUSH held a rally on Sept. 29 to discuss the commission hearing publicly. The rally included its members, community leaders and local politicians speaking out against National Fuel’s plans.
 During the rally, Hoyt said he would do what he can through Dec. 1, even suggesting legislation that would mandate these types of changes.
 Buffalo Common Councilmember David Rivera, called National Fuel “arrogant” and said “PUSH has done a great job not only on this issue but on many issues.”
 The two representatives were at the rally to support PUSH and the Buffalo residents.
 Even though the relationship between PUSH and National Fuel seems to be broken, Bartley said there is hope. “As the metaphor goes, you can repair fractures.”
 “But we’re not going away, this is too important to our neighborhoods and communities to see a strong conservation program and real resources being made available to deal with our high utility bills.”
 The Public Service Commission released a on Oct.1 announcing it is continuing to seek public comment on National Fuel’s petition to extend its CIP.
 Bartley is urging citizens to get involved.
 “We can win this fight as a community,” he said. “Call, write, e-mail, whatever you have to do to make your voice heard.”

Edited by Kevin Freiheit and Taylor Steinberg

Grant Street brings 'sweetness' to West Side

University at Buffalo students Ian Murray and Shiv Kotecha

By Jeffrey Heras
and Kevin Hoffman
Bengal News reporters
 In a city full of transplanted people the search for a home away from home can be never ending. As the smell of roasted coffee beans and breakfast foods fill the air, local patrons begin their morning sitting on retro chairs with eyes squinting at the gleaming lights.
 At the sight of entering Sweet_ness 7 Café on 220 Grant St., locals are mesmerized by the café’s antique look and “homey” atmosphere giving them a place to meet others and engage in stimulating conversations.
 “For me it is a home away from home,” Kelly Cornelius, 35, artist said. “ I can sit in my kitchen and make espresso alone or with my husband, but being here feels very relaxed. I can come here for as long as I want to and there is no rush.”
 There is a certain vibe at Sweet_ness 7 Café that is different from that of Café Aroma and Spot Coffee said Cornelius. A lot of artists and musicians are among the common faces in the café, she added.
 Sweet_ness 7 Café, you can also find the common college student occupying its retro tables.
 “To me it’s a coffee shop with plenty of seating room, offering a laid back feel. You can get in your own world and work on your own stuff while also being in a public place. University at Buffalo student Ian Murray said. “The wood everywhere adds to the atmosphere, as it doesn’t feel like a Starbuck’s or corporate place.”
 As the West Side expands and rejuvenates itself, Sweet_ness 7 Café has become a central meeting place for many community activists and leaders to discuss ways to further improve the neighborhood.
 “A lot of people that come in here are community activists or really involved in Buffalo,” said Kate Weidner, 24, café barista from Buffalo.
 Weidner further added that many West Side non-profit organizations like, Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo and People United for Sustainable Housing use the café as their meeting grounds, making this place a special gem of trafficking ideas for the future.
 Weidner shines light on Prish Moran, owner of Sweet_ness 7 Café and her motives of opening it.
 “She opened this place with no expectations, just for friends to come hang out and it just blew-up,” Weidner said. “She doesn’t advertise, it’s all word of mouth, it’s all community oriented.”
 Moran was able to furnish and build her café with the help of Buffalo ReUse, a non-profit organization that aims to take used building materials or furniture and restore it or use it for other construction projects throughout the West Side, giving her the opportunity to win a restoration award for collaborating with the organization.
 Weidner also said that there are plans of opening another Sweet_ness 7 Café on Parkside Avenue across from the Buffalo Zoo in the coming months, adding another “home away from home” in Buffalo.

Edited by Kevin Freiheit and Taylor Steinberg

Streetwear culture hub moves to Grant St.

By Jeff Buchman and Mario Burks
BengalNews Reporters
‘Streetwear’ fashion is an emerging movement in Buffalo, and the West Side is home to many boutiques that carry the specific style. One boutique in particular that has influence on Buffalo’s streetwear sub-culture and carries the style exclusively is Krudmart, which recently celebrated its grand re-opening at its new location at 212 Grant St.

On the surface streetwear appears relative to contemporary urban apparel, which is where it draws most of its influence. Two unique ‘guidelines’ most streetwear brands follow are: to keep most of their collections extremely limited and to work with prominent designers/artists. The two go hand in hand in that many designers are likely to make smaller runs of a specific piece as opposed to when their styles are picked up by more commercial means.

Streetwear has evolved from all-over print designs to clean detailed graphic t-shirts, snug fit denim jeans, and a multitude of fitted cardigans, hoodies, sweatshirts as well as many other everyday articles of clothing one could think of with not-so-average messages behind them.

Krudmart‘s role in Buffalo’s streetwear movement is to serve as a hub for the sub-culture, meaning the clothes and those individuals who choose to identify with the style. Local designers are also encouraged to participate, which was successful in the store’s past at its former location on Elmwood Avenue. Habes currently has home made jewelry on up for sale as well as jewelry she’s had a hand in discovering on random jewelry hunting trips.

Erin Habes, co-manager and longtime ally to Krudmart, said the West Side reminds her of her time spent in Brooklyn when she first got involved with the fashion industry as a sales rep for shoe brand Faryl Robin.

“Before there weren’t places for these kids to shop, but now when they go out to shop it almost feels like they’re in New York. People don’t have to travel to find stuff like this, it finally exists here in Buffalo,” Habes said.

Habes’ reminiscence of her time Brooklyn is important when considering streetwear, because the borough is deemed as being a Mecca for everything streetwear related. Customer Sam Turner said that there is a parallel between Buffalo and Brooklyn the significance of stores like Krudmart to Buffalo’s emerging sub-culture.

Erin Habes says Krudmart brings new culture to the city:

“Having stores like Krudmart and Sunday Skate Shop are essential to keeping what we represent alive. Living closer to New York City has allowed me to engage in the streetwear culture in Brooklyn, and when I’m back in Buffalo for school, going out to shop at places like Krudmart is almost like plucking a boutique right out of Williamsburg,” Turner said. Williamsburg is a part of Brooklyn that has, in recent years, become a permanent dwelling for streetwear enthusiasts.

Krudmart began as an online clothing store in 2002 carrying New York City specific brands, 10 Deep and Mishka, which have both gained popularity over the years, which was also partial to the reason Krudmart too gained some popularity.

It was in 2006 that former owner Steve Krzeminski opened the Elmwood location and began operating both the online store and the new retail headquarters. Flash forward four years later and Krzeminski sells the company off to longtime friend and streetwear enthusiast, Lance Kutrybala, who now co-manages the store with Habes.

Krudmart’s current location on Grant Street represents potentially greater positives for the West Side. With Sweetness_7 Café on the corner and a neighborhood boasting multiple diverse cultures, Krudmart might have found its permanent home.

Homegrown chickens part of spring ritual

By Kyla Goodfellow and John Fetter
BengalNews Reporters

Spring is an exciting time as the snow begins to melt, the ground thaws, streams swell with runoff, the weather has turned towards the warmer, green grass appears and flowers begin to bloom.

In Buffalo, spring is the perfect time to start a flock of backyard chickens. That’s according to Monique Watts who last year captured the hearts and minds of many local residents with her fight for her chickens that can be heard clucking away quietly in her backyard coop on Rhode Island Street.

In July last year Watts urged the Common Council to pass a legislation that allows Buffalo residents to keep up to five chickens per dwelling in backyard coops.

Watts and Diane Picard, the executive director of the Massachusetts Avenue Project, believe spring will see an influx of permit applications for backyard chickens as it is the ideal time to start hatching.

Diane Picard addresses potential growing interest in backyard chickens:

“You can hatch chickens at any given time but spring is usually a better time to hatch because they need a certain regulated temperature for 12 weeks or so. So if you hatch now then by the time they are big enough to be outside its warm and more suitable,” said Watts.

Picard has even applied for a chicken permit and ordered five chicks just in time for the start of spring.

“For us it just made sense to get our chicks in the spring when the weather’s warming up; it’s not such a harsh environment,” she said.

“We didn’t want to order our chickens in the Fall and then have to worry about them all winter and when the lights less they lay less.”

Watts started this new movement towards backyard chickens, but ultimately towards the community being self sustainable and growing their own food.

“That’s exactly what Monique was into chickens for. Her whole thing was the production of eggs that she could then share with people in her neighborhood,” said David Rivera, Niagara District councilmember.

Picard is hopeful that residents on the West Side will jump on board and benefit from everything that chickens have to offer.

“In our neighborhood there aren’t any grocery stores and most people don’t have access to cars. So to get fresh, affordable food they have to take the bus and that takes all day and they can only carry what they can carry on the bus, or they shop at these little corner stores that often don’t have the healthiest food,” said Picard.

“We’re really trying to encourage people to grow their own food and provide options for them in terms of healthier foods.”

Picard believes the chicken movement is a step forward especially in the West Side where there is huge poverty and health related problems.

“I think any opportunity we can give people to raise their own food, be it produce, eggs or chicken meat, is a step in the right direction. It provides them with a cheap good source of food that they raise themselves and also augments what they would spend on food,” she said.

Rivera among many other local supporters believes backyard chickens not only provide a healthy food resource at a lower price, but also a product that is of excellent quality.

“You save money. It’s nutritious. And I would ask anybody to compare their eggs—the eggs that they get from their chickens, to the eggs that you buy in a supermarket. I think you’d probably say hey these are great. In fact, I think they’re better than the ones you buy at the market,” he said.

Watts sees backyard chickens as one more tool in teaching neighborhood children and community members about where their food comes from and the health impact of being able to access healthy food.

“It’s definitely something we feel is really important to teach kids and hopefully we’re going to push them in a better direction,” said Watts.

To accommodate the predicted spring influx of chicken permits Urban Roots Community Garden Center, a local grass roots organization on Rhode Island Street committed to enriching the surrounding community is offering a new program to guide budding chicken owners along the way.

“We’re hosting a workshop at the end of March at Urban Roots on starting a flock, I think a lot of people will show up for that,” said Watts.

But residents should be warned: Once you buy your chicks and take them home, you may risk falling in love.

“I think they are just very endearing kind of creatures…people that keep them fall in love with them…some of them eat them. Monique loves her girls. She’s very attached to them. I can never see her eating them,” says Picard.

Italian-Americans still call West Side 'home'

By Marc Lucarelli, Tiffany Monde and Kori Sciandra
BengalNews reporters
Domenic Guercio, a lifelong resident of the West Side, has seen the shift from what was once a largely Italian neighborhood to the much more diverse area that it is now.
“It’s a mixed culture now. I call it the ‘League of Nations’, ” Guercio said.
While Italian is no longer a predominant nationality on the West Side, Domenic has lived in the West Side for 84 years now.
Over the past three decades the West Side has seen a vast change in cultural population. The neighborhood is entering into another transition with new immigrants coming from Africa and Eastern Europe.
Charlie Guercio, owner of Guercio and Son’s, a food market on Grant Street, said it took hard work to raise a family, and earning a low income did not help the new Italians to integrate into American culture.
“The Italians used to help each other. We were all family back then,” Charlie Guercio said.
In the early 1980s the dynamic of the West Side began to change. The feel of the Old Italian neighborhood was vanishing.
“The old neighborhood was fresh. Fresh fish or chicken every two blocks,” Charlie Guercio said.
Over the years Charlie Guercio said that many of the Italians in the neighborhood began to leave the area to the surrounding suburbs where there were smaller houses. Many Italians have sought homes that can accommodate a smaller number of people. Their children are grown and have families of their own so there is no need for a large home.
“The Italians went north, south and east. They didn’t want to stay in the West Side,” Charlie Guercio said.
Although people were moving out, this did not have a negative effect on his business. He said people still drive from their homes in the suburbs to shop in his store.
The Rev. Monsignor David M. Gallivan, of Holy Cross Church on Seventh Street, said that another change to the area has been the shift of the Italian Festival from Connecticut Street to Hertel Avenue.
Demographically, the area is mostly a Hispanic population. The neighborhood has about two to one Hispanics to Italians.
Europeans are starting to reside in the area along with African immigrants. Gallivan said that he has noticed this change not only in the neighborhood but his congregation is becoming more culturally diverse.
“The neighborhood has changed but not for the worst,” Domenic Guercio said.
Domenic and Claudia Guercio, cousins of Charlie Guercio, have been residents of the West Side since 1946 and have mixed feelings about their plans to stay in their home.
“I was born and raised here, I’m not leaving,” Domenic Guercio said.
While Domenic is comfortable staying right where he is, Claudia Guercio said she no longer enjoys spending time on her porch. She is constantly aware of her surroundings and she would rather move into a senior center where safety would be less of a concern.
“It just seems like no one cares about the West Side anymore,” Claudia Guercio. “All the dilapidated homes just go to waste.”
The diverse culture in the neighborhood is welcomed. Charlie Guercio said that over the past two years the area seems to be getting better. More businesses are coming and he said it seems as though the crime was going down.
“I think the neighborhood is coming back,” Charlie Guercio said.