Hundreds of New Yorkers who struggle to put food on their table are now feeling grateful, knowing they won’t have to worry about where their next few meals will be coming from.

“How many pounds do you think that it is?” NY1 asked Margot Rodriguez of the East Village, as she wheeled her packed shopping cart home from a pop-up food pantry outside Holy Redeemer Church.

“Oh, like 100.” she replied.

Rodriguez got in line at 4:30 a.m. Friday and waited five and a half hours for the pop-up pantry to distribute food.

NY1 asked what she was hoping for.

“Something to eat,” she said. “We need it.”

Because Rodriguez signed up in advance, the retired deli worker did not need to wait for hours on end in the cold for food, but she was taking no chances. She wanted to make sure she would not miss out on the fresh produce, dairy, and canned goods at the pantry, part of a network funded by the Catholic Charities of New York.

Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, the executive director of Catholic Charities of New York, says since the pandemic began, Catholic Charities has hosted 200 pop-up pantries like the one outside Holy Redeemer Church on East 3rd Street, serving more than 1.3 million meals, in addition to its regular pantries.

“I have very mixed emotions,” said Monsignor Sullivan. “I am so sad that people need to line up because so many people have lost their jobs that they can’t go to the supermarket to buy food, so I’m sad, but I’m also grateful that by so many generous people, Catholic Charities is able to provide nutritious meals.”

Since last March, Monsignor Sullivan estimates more than 8 million meals have been provided to hungry New Yorkers through Catholic Charities’ network, which also includes 40 pantries and home delivered meals.

Margot Rodriguez was among dozens of people who waited patiently in two lines that stretched down the block outside the Holy Redeemer church.

As she arrived home, she was relieved that on this day, at least, she does not need to worry about having enough to eat.