The MVBHS Comfort Food Cookbook is a collection of 168 special recipes, representing 60 countries, which were submitted by teachers, administration, students, parents
and alumni. Photo by Brian Greenspan
Local high school launches digital cookbook
to support families during COVID-19 pandemic
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 28-SEPT. 3, 2020 17
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Martin Van Buren High
School in Queens Village is
raising money to help students
and families hit hardest by the
COVID-19 pandemic through
its collaborative digital cookbook.
The Martin Van Buren
High School Alumni Alliance
in partnership with Commonpoint
Queens launched its
“Give Hope to Help” initiative
and the MVBHS Comfort Food
Cookbook.
The project resulted in an
exceptional collection of 168
special recipes, representing
60 countries — submitted
by teachers, administration,
students, parents and alumni
showcasing the incredibly
diverse community in the
“World’s Borough.”
Steve Wilson, MVBHS
alum and president of the
Martin Van Buren Alumni Alliance,
said the severe impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic on
MVB students and staff led the
alliance to quickly mobilize to
find a way to help show their
support for those who were
struggling the most.
“We wanted to not just help
to raise desperately needed
funds to assist MVB families,
but also to galvanize the community
behind this effort, giving
hope to those in desperate
need,” Wilson said. “We also
wanted to create something
that would both honor our diverse
community and share in
our rich cultures.”
According to Wilson,
they’re proud to serve the
school in many capacities,
but this issue in particular
stands out due to the pain and
suffering they hope to help
alleviate.
“We created this cookbook
to raise money and awareness
of the collective plight of the
Queens community-at-large
and the Van community. We
recognize even when the virus
has finally retreated, many
financial, physical and psychological
scars will remain and
this undertaking is one small
thing we as individuals can do
to help those most impacted by
the COVID crisis,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he is grateful
to Commonpoint Queens for
partnering with the school on
the project helping to provide
emergency cash assistance to
Van students and families —
including everything else they
do at Van Buren such as attendance
interventions, mental
health counseling, community
service opportunities and
mentoring.
“From day one of Commonpoint
Queens’ partnership
with Martin Van Buren, the
school’s administration welcomed
us. Our collaborations
on many joint initiatives have
improved not only the 500+ students
participating in our five
programs currently at MVB
but also the overall success of
the larger school community,”
said Heather Liverpool, community
school director.
The Van Buren Alumni
Alliance is asking the community
to join them alongside
their partners, Commonpoint
Queens and People’s Bank, as
they help their neighbors far
and wide travel the world from
their kitchen.
Copies of the e-cookbook
are available at www.mvbhsaa.
com. Interested corporate
partners can contact Steve
Wilson at mvbhsalumns@
gmail.com.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4526.
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