NOVEMBER 2 0 1 8 I BOROMAG.COM 33
Photo by Mika Arava
Photo courtesy of Nicole Panettieri
Volunteer Your Time and
Talent:
CIANA offers volunteer opportunities for
community members as well, and there are
also other citywide organizations that have
concentrated efforts in Astoria.
City Harvest, NYC’s fi rst food rescue organization,
hosts “Mobile Markets” twice a month
in the Astoria Houses off Astoria Boulevard.
You can sign up for more info at cityharvest.
org/volunteer.
Catholic Charities also has an outpost
in Queens on Astoria Boulevard, and is
always looking for volunteers in all different
types of settings, from senior centers
to community outreach. Find out more at
ccbq.com.
Last but not least, Astoria’s new women’s
empowerment group, Ladies First
Astoria, will be hosting a Holiday Give
Back event to create and distribute bags
of needed items for the homeless in the
city. Keep up to date on when and where
you can donate items and volunteer to
distribute bags on Instagram (@ladiesfirstastoria).
Support Local Small
Business:
Another great thing you can do this month,
which doesn’t even break up your routine
too much, is make a concentrated effort to
support the local businesses we all enjoy. Buy
your morning coffee at a local shop instead
of chains, and/or purchase holiday gifts from
local shops and artisans, even if it is more
expensive than buying Amazon Prime. It's
worth it because the money you spend here
actually goes back into your own community!
The annual Astoria Small Business Saturday
“Retail Crawl” is a great way to do so, which
offers discounts, swag bags and more
for shopping at participating businesses
in Astoria. This year it’s taking place the
weekend of Nov. 23 to 25. Look out for more
info on Instagram (@shopsmallastoria).
You can also check out the Queens Craft Brigade,
which puts on events with local vendors and
crafters in Queens. Their next event is on Sunday,
Nov. 18, from noon to 5 p.m. at Rocco Moretto
Post 2348 on 31-35 41st St. in Astoria.
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