BY JESSICA PARKS
A pair of best friends from
Bay Ridge are taking on the
city’s hunger crisis by hosting
monthly performances that
have already raised enough
money to feed thousands of
needy New Yorkers.
Nine-year-old Scarlett Diviney
and 13-year-old Jolie
Wasserman have each been
performing since they were
six years old — but now, as the
COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated
needs across the city,
the two have taken their talents
to Facebook Live to fund different
initiatives designed to help
other children who are less fortunate.
“We started ‘Voices to End
Hunger’ because the hunger
problem was so bad,” said Scarlett
of their online performance
series. “COVID increased the
hunger problem by 40 percent.”
Jolie agreed, adding that she
was particularly alarmed by
the high rate of food insecurity
across the city.
“People were desperately
in need for food and other supplies,
COURIER L 10 IFE, JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2021
so I thought we could do
something to make a change,”
she said.
The girls hosted their fi rst
virtual “cabaret” in August,
during which they showcased
their own singing as well as
the talents of other performing
friends they enlisted for the
bill.
“Scarlett and I are performers
in New York City, so we
made a bunch of connections
and friends over time,” said Jolie.
“All of our friends love to
sing also…and we thought it
would be most effi cient to start
cabarets using all of our talents
and friends’ talents.”
Scarlett and Jolie have
hosted four cabarets to date —
and have raised enough funds
to provide 45,000 meals to hungry
New Yorkers, give hundreds
of Thanksgiving meals
Jolie Wasserman, left and Scarlett Diviney, right, host virtual cabarets
each month to raise money to feed the hungry. Colette Samman
to patients at Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center, and
fulfi ll the needs of two schools
with high populations of students
experiencing homelessness.
For their fi fth cabaret — a
Valentine’s Day special on Feb.
12 — the duo plans to fundraise
to provide meals for a La Jornada
Food Pantry in Queens,
which they chose based on its
outsized need for support and
because of their plans to benefi t
organizations in all of the city’s
fi ve boroughs.
“All the money is going to
a food pantry in Queens, they
feed 10,000 New Yorkers a
week,” Scarlett said.
The young philanthropists
said pitching in at a time of
crisis has been fulfi lling — a
feeling they said hits home
whenever they deliver a meal
or donation, and see fi rst-hand
how much their work is appreciated.
“Scarlett and I feel really
good that we are doing this because
it makes us very happy to
know that we are helping others
in need,” said Jolie.
Voices to End Hunger will
stream their Valentine’s Day
Special Cabaret on Feb. 12 at 7
pm at www.facebook.com/voicestoend.
hunger.7.
PERFORMING
FOR A CAUSE
Bay Ridge youngsters host virtual
performances to feed the hungry
WE REPAIR & BUILD COMPUTERS
Austin Air Purifiers • Air Conditioners
WITH COUPON ONLY. EXP. SAT. Feb. 27 th, 2021
WE ARE OPEN MONDAY - SATURDAY
36
/voic-estoend.hunger.7
/voic-estoend.hunger.7
/voic-estoend.hunger.7