City officials say they are working with organizations and hotels to house, feed and care for migrants who have recently been bused to the area by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Two new buses of migrants arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal Tuesday morning.
The influx of asylum seekers has caused nonprofit organizations such as the Masbia Soup Kitchen Network and Food Pantry to gear up and help.
“We are launching today an initiative to welcome asylum seekers to our digital bread line,” said Executive Director Alexander Rapaport. “We have every day an eight hour bread line.”
Masbia feeds New Yorkers daily through its online app and at three locations in Queens and Brooklyn.
Appointment slots on the app can fill up quickly, so organizers recently launched a new schedule to allow asylum seekers to come.
“When you realize that Masbia means in Hebrew 'to satisfy or satiate' than we want to do whatever we can in that vain,” said volunteer coordinator Laura Allen.
Masbia volunteers were among those who greeted two new buses of about 30 adults and more than a dozen children at Tuesday morning, supplying them with socks and shoes.
“People we’re hungry. They were thirsty, tired and some had medical conditions that needed to be attended to,” said Manuel Castro of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Housing the migrants has strained the city’s already struggling shelter system. Officials hope to receive federal funding to assist with the issue soon.
On Monday, elected officials and city agencies met with asylum seekers. They will also be aided by a new navigation center meant to help migrants with obtaining legal services and other resources.
Castro’s office estimates that Gov. Abbot has sent about 8,000 migrants to the city from Texas this summer.