(From l. to r.) Mysore Gandhi (SACSS Board Secretary), Devi Ramchandran (SACSS Board Vice President), Sudha Acharya (SACSS Executive Director), NYC Council Member
Daniel Dromm, NYC Council Member Peter Koo and SACSS volunteer Lilavati Patel at the South Asian Food Pantry in Flushing.
GIVING BACK IN FLUSHING
Queens lawmakers visit South Asian Food Pantry to distribute meals
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
City Councilmembers Peter
Koo and Daniel Dromm
visited the South Asian
Council for Social Services
(SACSS) South Asian Food
Pantry in Flushing on Dec.
13, joining staff and volunteers
in distributing prepared
meals.
Koo and Dromm interacted
with community members
in line to receive food
and experienced a first-hand
account of the operation at
SACSS Food Pantry, located
at 143-06 45th Ave.
“Our heartfelt thanks to
our elected officials, Council
Members Peter Koo & Daniel
Dromm, for their support to
the South Asian Food Pantry,”
said Sudha Acharya, SACSS
executive director. “Their
presence at the pantry is a testament
of their acknowledgement
of the rising problem of
hunger and food insecurity in
our communities.”
The South Asian Food
Pantry opened its doors in
July 2016 serving low-income
and underserved South
Asian and other immigrants
in New York City — with particular
emphasis on Queens.
Many pantry recipients are
immigrants isolated in their
homes or communities, have
low education levels, and
high unemployment rates —
all of which intensifies their
poverty and risk for poor nutrition.
The South Asian Food
Pantry distributes food to
about 25 to 30 clients every
week. Today, it has grown to
serve over 5,970 individuals
— annually, with 350 families
getting food every week. The
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.26 COM | DEC. 27-JAN. 2, 2020
pantry serves healthy vegetarian
meals which suits the
palate, as well as religious
beliefs of its clients — particularly
Hindus, Jains, and
Muslim clients.
Nutritious food items that
are basic to the South Asian
diet such as rice, dal (lentils),
atta (whole wheat flour) and
spices (chili powder, cumin,
turmeric, coriander powder,
and mustard seeds). The pantry
also provides fresh seasonal
produce such as vegetables
and fruit, milk, cereal,
oatmeal, pasta and bread.
The South Asian Food
Pantry is open every Friday
from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and
gives clients the freedom to
choose their own food which
they can use to make meals
that match their personal dietary
preferences.
Acknowledging the diversity
Photo courtesy of South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS)
of the clientele that is served
by SACSS, Koo expressed that
SACSS is one of the “most successful,
inclusive and muchneeded
social service organization”
in Queens.
“The South Asian Council
on Social Services has
the city’s only South Asian
food pantry that caters to all,
including various cultural,
vegetarian and religious
dietary restrictions,” Koo
said. “My office has funded
this organization over the
past eight years because of
its dedication and commitment
to inclusion, and I look
forward to seeing them grow
and succeed in their mission
to empower and integrate the
South Asian and immigrant
communities.”
Meanwhile, Dromm
thanked the volunteers and
staff for their commitment
and dedication in ensuring
that community members received
vital food services.
“I was humbled to see
the large number of clients
SACSS serves who are in
need of food,” Dromm said.
“I am pleased that SACSS
is meeting the needs of the
South Asian and East Asian
communities by serving
nutritious food specific to
their home countries which
is often unavailable at other
pantries. Providing food and
services that are culturally
competant is important to
our immigrant communities.
I am proud to allocate
funding for this important
endeavor.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260–4526.
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