COVID-19, TWO YEARS LATER
Queens Together continues to provide pandemic relief across the borough
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 18 - MARCH 24, 2022 23
including Queens Together,”
Maloney said.
“All these groups are
integral to our community,
and I’m honored to
be able to support their
work through federal
funding. The $250,000
for Queens Together
will bring much-needed
stability and support to
our small businesses
and restaurants.”
Forgash said the
funding will allow
Queens Together to become
a fully operational
organization that will
act as FEMA for restaurants
and families
across the borough in
the event of another public
health emergency in
the future.
“With this funding
from Congress, we will
continue to build our
network of local restaurants
and community
groups,” Forgash
said. “Together, we
will work to improve
the public health and
wealth of New York
City’s largest borough.
When the next crisis
hits NYC, we can be the
‘boots on the ground’
leader connecting agencies
and resources to
communities across the
borough.”
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by e-mail at
bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
BY BILL PARRY
As Queens became
the “epicenter of the epicenter”
of the COVID-19
pandemic two years
ago, community-based
organizations moved
mountains in the mad
scramble to provide relief
to their neighbors
across Queens.
One Astoria-based
group was able to organize
faster than most to
feed frontline workers
and families in need
while helping local restaurants
stay in business
while re-employing
restaurant workers
to pack produce and
make deliveries.
“Queens Together
began when COVID-19
shut down New York
City in March 2020,”
Queens Together Executive
Director Jonathan
Forgash said. “We
built an organization
to empower, represent
and support our restaurant
community and a
‘plate it forward’ program
to feed frontline
workers and people facing
food and economic
insecurity.”
Queens Together
made a difference for
food-insecure Queens
residents and made
a direct impact on
the financial stability
of small business
restaurants and their
employees through
fundraising, volunteers
and partnerships
with community-based
organizations.
“When COVID-19
hit New York, Queens
Together stepped forward
and raised a banner
that we could all
rally around. Organizing
restaurants to
feed our overwhelmed
healthcare workers
and neighbors,” said
Michael Fuquay, owner
of The Queensboro in
Jackson Heights. “They
saved many restaurants
in the process.
Queens Together is the
real deal.”
In the past two years
Queens Together provided
prepared meals,
groceries and fresh
produce for more than
a quarter of a million
people. Additionally,
the organization funded
more than 60 restaurants
and businesses to
prepare foods for neighbors,
pay bills and keep
employees working.
Queens Together established
a food pantry at
Variety Boys & Girls
Club in Astoria with
satellite pop-up pantries
across Queens.
Forgash and his
team created a network
of more than 300 restaurants,
small businesses
and community groups.
Plus, Queens Together
provided important
news and grants information
from agencies at
all levels of government
as well as COVID-related
information, education,
promotion and tech
services, often in a variety
of languages and
handed out door-to-door
by community-based organization
partners.
“Queens Together
was instrumental in
keeping local businesses
open by connecting
them with monies
to provide food to
frontliners and those
in need,” said T.M.
Walker, owner of MumsKitchens
NYC in St.
Albans. “We are honored
to be a member of
this game-changing organization.”
Last November, Congresswoman
Carolyn
Maloney honored Forgash
for his service to
the residents of Queens
during the pandemic,
and she announced
on March 8 that she
had secured $250,000
in funding for Queens
Together, along with
nearly $1 million for
the Floating Hospital
in Long Island City and
$800,000 for Urban Upbound’s
Youth Career
and Training Program.
“I’m thrilled that all
of my community project
funding requests
for these deserving
organizations were included
in this year’s
appropriations bill,
$0plan
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1-800-469-6292 (TTY 711)
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Grocery items
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