Tons of 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.
Individuals had been bundled up in opposition to the windy chilly as they stood exterior 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 information that they are going to be giving round, like, 1,500 eggs, or one thing like that. OK? And I simply got here as a result of I wanted some eggs, after which I’m ready right here within the line, and I don’t see something,” mentioned Jackeline Tejava, who was in a line that stretched across the block. “They are saying that the eggs are gone, however it hasn’t been not much more than 20 individuals, so I don’t know what occurred.”
Egg costs hit a file excessive final month because the U.S. contends with a chook flu outbreak, which has pressured poultry farms to slaughter greater than 168 million birds since 2022.
Looking for eggs on grocery retailer cabinets in New York Metropolis may be hit and miss. When they’re in inventory, they are often expensive.
Friday’s giveaway was organized by FarmerJawn, a 128-acre (52-hectare) Pennsylvania farm that’s centered 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 as a result of, as meals producers, we imagine it’s our duty to assist the communities that assist us,” the group mentioned in a written assertion. It partnered with an area butchery and a upstate New York farm to arrange Friday’s occasions.
“Meals is medication, and everybody – particularly the often-forgotten center class – deserves entry to it,” Farmerjawn mentioned.
Different organizations, together with church buildings, have 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 12 months over final 12 months’s common of $3.17 per dozen. A carton of eggs in New York Metropolis can usually run twice or 3 times 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 be able to’t afford eggs.
“They’re so costly,” she mentioned. “This isn’t truthful. … They know all people gonna be on line like this.”
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
