{"id":126108,"date":"2026-02-07T11:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T11:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/126108\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T11:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T11:07:08","slug":"she-fed-staten-islands-hungry-for-years-but-now-her-son-cant-afford-her-funeral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/126108\/","title":{"rendered":"She fed Staten Island\u2019s hungry for years, but now her son can\u2019t afford her funeral"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 The Staten Island community is mourning the loss of Nilsa Cruz, a woman remembered for her extensive community service and dedication to feeding the hungry, as her son faces the financial burden of her funeral costs alone.<\/p>\n

Jose Delgado, Cruz\u2019s son, is seeking to raise $5,900 for his mother\u2019s funeral expenses with little support from others.<\/p>\n

On the evening of Dec. 19, she and two other women were crossing Castleton Avenue near Barker Street at around 5:50 p.m.<\/a>, when they were struck by a westbound 2019 gray Ford F-250.<\/p>\n

Cruz initially complained of stomach pain and was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, where she later died from internal injuries, the Advance\/SILive.com previously reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to try to talk to the funeral parlor and see if I could do small payments to be honest with you,\u201d Delgado said in an interview with Advance\/SILive.com. \u201cI don\u2019t have anybody helping me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NilsaNilsa Cruz, 66, is remembered for many roles including her tireless volunteer work with the Faith United Methodist Church in Port Richmond food pantry.(Courtesy of Lorna Wilson)<\/p>\n

Cruz was widely known for running the West Brighton Pantry for Project Hospitality and Faith United Methodist Church in Port Richmond since 2017. According to her son, she initially took over the operation after the previous organizer passed away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lady that used to do the food pantry in West Brighton but she passed away. My mom just took on the legacy of just running the pantry,\u201d Delgado explained. \u201cWhen I say running the pantry, running it from out of the basketball court. No sleet, snow or rain, you name it, she was out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite Delgado encouraging his mother to step back from the demanding volunteer work, Cruz remained committed to serving others. \u201cI used to be like, \u2018Ma, okay, now it\u2019s time. Come on. You gotta give it up.\u2019 And she\u2019s like, \u2018No, no, I can\u2019t,\u2019\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

Her community service extended beyond the food pantry. Cruz was also active with Union 1199 in Manhattan, participating in protests and advocacy work. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe used to go out and protest for the union,\u201d Delgado said, recalling childhood memories of accompanying his mother to demonstrations.<\/p>\n

\"NilsaVolunteers and organizers of the food pantry, including Nilsa Cruz (third from right), took time to pose for a photo with Assemblyman Charles Fall and visitors from Washington D.C. who helped on Aug. 8, 2025.(Advance\/SILive.com |Pamela Silvestri)<\/p>\n

The timing of Cruz\u2019s death has been particularly difficult for the family, who had just experienced another loss. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy father, Gumercindo Mercado Cruz<\/a>, passed away Nov. 22 and then we had his funeral on Dec. 5,” Delgado shared. \u201cSo right after he passed away, that\u2019s when my mother passed away.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Delgado, the loss of his parents has been devastating both emotionally and financially. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt has affected my life real bad,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s too much that I\u2019m dealing with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cruz will be remembered as a deeply caring mother who maintained constant contact with her son. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe could call me 24 hours a day,\u201d Delgado said. \u201cShe would call me non-stop and ask me, \u2018Are you okay? Are you all right?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Her goddaughter, Marissa Thompson, described Cruz as \u201ca loving and careful godmother\u201d who stepped in after her own mother\u2019s death. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever I asked for, she would always get it. Even though sometimes it was late. But she still got it,\u201d Thompson stated.<\/p>\n

\"NilsaNilsa Cruz ran the West Brighton Pantry in all weather conditions for years, but now her son faces the burden of funeral costs with little support.Courtsey of Jose Delgado<\/p>\n

Cruz was also known for her love of cooking, particularly Puerto Rican dishes. Delgado fondly remembered their shopping trips to Brooklyn for special ingredients. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor us Puerto Ricans, there\u2019s nothing out in Staten Island. We literally travel from Staten Island to Brooklyn just go to the meat market out there,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

Delgado\u2019s final message about his mother highlights the essence of who she was: \u201cShe\u2019s a respectful person. She\u2019s a person that got along with everyone,\u201d he said, while expressing his need for help with the funeral expenses.<\/p>\n

As the Staten Island community mourns Cruz\u2019s passing, they\u2019re reminded of a woman who dedicated herself to service, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and community care that now calls for reciprocal support in her time of need.<\/p>\n

Lorna Wilson, the food pantry coordinator at Faith United Methodist Church, described Cruz as the brains behind the current food pantry layout that was inspired by thrift shops.<\/p>\n

\u201cNilsa\u2019s loss has left me very broken,\u201d Wilson shared. \u201cIt pushes me to unleash that goodness for caring for others as Nilsa has done; as we both strive to do. We had so many plans.\u201d <\/p>\n

Those interested in making a donation and learning more about Cruz can visit her obituary page.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 The Staten Island community is mourning the loss of Nilsa Cruz, a woman remembered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-126108","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}