FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 4, 2021 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 35
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REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Indoor dining at 25 percent capacity back on Valentine’s Day
Addabbo launches food drive to help local food pantries
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
With Valentine’s Day around the corner,
Senator Joseph Addabbo is hoping
to spread love to some local food pantries
with a food drive.
From now until Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14,
two of Addabbo’s district offi ces — one in
Middle Village and one Howard Beach —
will serve as safe drop-off locations for the
food drive.
Aft er the drive is complete, Addabbo
will bring the donated food to two local
food pantries, Our Lady of Grace in
Howard Beach and the Sacred Heart pantry
in Glendale.
“Our local shelters
typically experience
an influx of
donations during
the holiday
season, with
Thanksgiving
and Christmas
being traditional
times
when people
donate,”
Addabbo said.
“But the shelters
need food all year
round. My hopes
are that this food
drive can provide supplies
to the food shelters
during a time when
they are usually
low on stock.”
A d d a b b o ’ s
office will be
collecting nonperishable
food
items such as
canned vegetables
and fruit;
cereals; crackers
and snacks;
pasta and rice;
soups, stews and
chili; cooking oil;
dried herbs and spices;
and additional non-perishable
foods.
Addabbo’s Middle Village offi ce is located
at 66-85 73rd Pl. in Middle Village. Th e
Howard Beach offi ce is located at 159-53
102nd St.
Both offi ces will be collecting food
through Friday, Feb. 12, in order to
be delivered to the food pantries aft er
Valentine’s Day. Safety measures and protocols,
such as the wearing of masks, will
be followed.
“On a holiday that preaches love, I ask
that you look in your hearts and bring
some food to be donated to those less fortunate,”
Addabbo said. “Together we can
make a real impact in people’s lives.”
For more information on the food drive,
contact Addabbo’s offi ce at 718-738-1111.
BY BEN VERDE
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Now you have no excuse not to have a
date this Valentine’s Day.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced
that New York City restaurants will resume
indoor dining at 25 percent capacity on
Feb. 14, citing the city’s dropping infection
rate and stating with confi dence that
positive tests will continue to fall.
Data collected by the city and state
paint diff erent pictures of New York City’s
infection rate. According to state data,
New York City’s infection rate peaked at
7.1 percent on Jan. 4, and has fallen to 4.9
percent since then. Data collected by the
city, on the other hand, listed the city’s
infection rate at over 8 percent on Jan. 29.
Cuomo also intends to allow weddings
and wedding venues to operate again with up
to 150 guests aft er March 15, with an emphasis
on rapid COVID testing for all guests.
“You could make a reservation now or
plan dinner on Valentine’s Day, you propose
on Valentine’s Day, and then you can
have the wedding ceremony March 15, up
to 150 people,” he said. “People will actually
come to your wedding because you
can tell them with the testing it will be
safe, everyone there will have been tested.”
Queens Chamber of Commerce
President Th omas Grech celebrated the
governor’s announcement, citing his fear
that the chilly winter temperatures could
serve as a fi nal blow to local restaurants
should indoor dining not return soon.
“Th e return of indoor dining at 25 percent
capacity on Valentine’s Day will be a
massive relief to restaurant owners, who
look forward to welcoming back their loyal
and supportive customers,” Grech said.
Still, with over 1,000 Queens-based restaurants
closing their doors in the past
year, Grech urged leaders at the state and
national level to do more.
“While this long-awaited move is helpful,
it is not nearly enough and we urge
the governor, in the strongest terms, to
increase capacity to 50 percent by March
1 and 100 percent by St. Patrick’s Day,”
Grech said. “We must continue to push
for more to be done to help these small
business owners, including calling on
Congress and President Biden to pass Th e
RESTAURANTS Act immediately. We ask
that all New Yorkers support their favorite
restaurants at this time.”
Additional reporting by Jacob Kaye.
/WWW.QNS.COM
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