Maria’s Love Foundation has partnered with New York Martial Arts
Academy in Astoria to host a food drive.
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | NOV. 5 - NOV. 11, 2021
BY BILL PARRY
For the seventh consecutive
year, the Hunters Point
Parks Conservancy (HPPC)
is hosting the “LIC Bulbfest”
in Gantry Plaza State
Park and Hunters Point
South Park along the East
River waterfront in Long
Island City.
Over the last six years,
the conservancy and volunteers
have planted nearly
42,000 bulbs in the two adjoining
parks before winter
sets in, leading to remarkable
spring blooms.
HPPC and volunteers
will plant nearly 16,000
bulbs this year, the largest
number to date. This year’s
planting event will be taking
place on Saturday, Nov.
6, from 9 a.m. until 12:30
p.m., or until all of the
bulbs are planted.
“We are very excited to
continue this LIC tradition
for a seventh season. The
parks have never looked
better and we all look forward
to our community
turning out once again to
contribute to keeping our
parks the special place they
have become. We would like
to thank the Van Zyverden
Company for donating the
bulbs, Amazon for being
our corporate sponsor for
this event, and most of all
the volunteers that will
show up to help us plant the
bulbs.”
This year’s event will
continue the safety protocols
introduced last year in
response to the COVID-19
pandemic. There will be a
timed check-in process and
volunteers must sign up in
advance here for a specific
check-in time.
Volunteers will meet at
the plaza in Gantry Plaza
State Park near Center
Boulevard between 48th
and 49th avenues, and will
then disperse throughout
the two parks. Instructions
on how to plant bulbs will
be given at that time.
No previous experience
is necessary and volunteers
of all ages are welcome.
“In partnership with the
Hunters Point Parks Conservancy,
we’re glad to support
this year’s bulb planting,”
Amazon’s NYC Head of External
Affairs Carley Graham
Garcia said. “This event
is such a fun opportunity for
our community to get together
and experience the parks.
We’re looking forward to enjoying
these blooms with our
neighbors across the metro
area this spring.”
Unvaccinated volunteers
are required to wear
a mask throughout the duration
of the event. Masks
will be provided to participants
if needed. HPPC
will also provide cleaned
gardening gloves and sanitized
tools and have hand
sanitizer available for all
volunteers.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
BY JESSICA MILITELLO
The beginning of November
marks a time of year
when the Astoria community
works together even
more than usual to help others
in need as Thanksgiving
and Christmastime come
around.
One Astoria-based charity,
Maria’s Love Foundation,
has been working with New
York Martial Arts Academy
to collect canned goods and
other essentials to send to
Island Harvest, a food bank
on Long Island.
The donation boxes will
be held at all four of New
York Martial Arts Academy’s
locations, including
one right on Broadway and
Crescent Street, as well as
others in Little Neck, Williamsburg
and Glen Cove.
The charity and martial
arts school often collaborate
on many of their efforts, and
students of the school as well
as members in the community
are welcome to stop by
and donate to ensure that no
one goes hungry.
“With everything going
on this past year and a half,
I think it’s more important
than ever for everyone to
get together and try to help
others,” said Antri Orfanos,
the founder of Maria’s Love
Foundation. “A food drive is
something most people can
get involved with because
even just a can of food is so
helpful to a family in need.”
Throughout the middle of
October until Nov. 22, members
of the community can
get donate non-perishable
goods and baby essentials,
among other items.
Individuals can donate
food at New York Martial
Arts Academy in Astoria,
located at 25-06 Broadway.
To find a location near you,
visit nymaa.com.
Orfanos has been regularly
involved in giving to others
throughout her life. She
became especially passionate
about helping families
dealing with financial burdens
due to serious illness
when her mother, Maria,
who the charity is named
after, passed away from cancer.
She founded her 501(c)(3)
nonprofit to help others facing
the same struggles that
she and her family personally
experienced.
Even though the organization
is directed toward
helping families pay medical
bills, it finds other ways
to help those in need in what
ever way they can. Following
the food drive, the organization
will also have a toy
drive in December.
Because all of the nonprofit’s
fundraiser events
had to be canceled last year
due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
the organization is
more eager than ever to
Courtesy of Antri Orfanos
continue host events and get
everyone together to help
others.
“We are so excited to get
back to our usual events,”
Orfanos said. “After the new
year we’re looking forward
to having our first event
since the pandemic. What
makes me most excited for
starting events again is being
able to help more and
more families. During the
pandemic, thankfully we
were able to continue to help
families from St. Mary’s
Children’s Hospital, but we
hope to be able to do more
again soon.”
To learn more about Maria’s
Love Foundation, follow
the organization on Instagram
at @mariaslovefoundation or
go to mariaslovefoundation.
org.
The seventh annual LIC Bulbfest is coming to Long Island City’s
waterfront parks on Saturday, Nov. 6. Courtesy of HPPC
Annual ‘LIC Bulbfest’
returning on Nov. 6
Maria’s Love Foundation
hosts food drive to help
those in need in Astoria
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