They’ve become a part of the fabric of New York City life, slipping in and out of subway cars and calling out to riders as they try to sell their wares, typically an assortment of candy bars and gum.
Often the candy and fruit vendors are migrant women, sometimes seen with their young children in tow.
A city-run program called Promise NYC has tried to ease some of the challenges by partnering with local organizations to provide free child care through subsidy payments to child care centers that enroll migrant children.
A survey conducted by Algun Dia, the migrant vendors outreach project, found that the need stretched across many families.
“We found that 84% of the individuals that we had surveyed were vending out of necessity, and they were doing so because of their lack of child care.
Persons:
They’ve, Algun Dia, Lorena, ” Lorena, It’s, ”, Liza Schwartzwald, Tiffany Hervas, Hervas
Organizations:
NBC News, U.S, NBC, Food, city’s Sanitation Department, NBC News New York City, New York City, New York Immigration Coalition, Algun
Locations:
New York City, Manhattan, Queens, Algun, U.S, Ecuador, New York