14 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 23, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
сoronavirus
Flushing organization donates hundreds of meals
to local fi rst responders and frontline workers
BY BENJAMIN MANDILE
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
A Flushing grassroots organization
founded by state Assembly candidate
Steven Lee donated 600 meals this
past weekend to area fi rst responders and
frontline workers and plans to donate
another 600 meals this upcoming week.
Asians in America (AiA) teamed up
with local restaurants and business leaders
to create meals with participation
from seven area establishments. Th e
group donated these meals to the 109th
Precinct, Flushing Hospital Medical
Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
and local fi re departments.
“Flushing is a microcosm of New York
City and its spirit,” said Lee, the founder
of Asians in America. “Th e Flushing
community has given so much to me
and I am honored to do my part in serving
and investing in this incredible community.”
AiA plans to continue its eff orts for fi rst
responders by delivering 250 meals per a
day and expanding its outreach to people
who are unable to access fresh food at this
time. People in need can sign up for a free
meal and AiA will contact them to schedule
a time for a delivery.
Th e eff orts are funded by donations and
the group has set up a GoFundMe to collect
donations. Th e fi rst 1200 meals were
funded by a local real estate development
fi rm F&T Group.
AiA is looking for help from the community
Photo courtesy of Asians in America
including volunteers to deliver the
meals. Volunteers and donors are encouraged
to visit the organizations’ Facebook
for more details.
Queens Chamber calls on feds to further aide small businesses
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e White House and Congress continue
negotiations on a $470 billion COVID-
19 relief package aimed primarily at small
businesses who were left out of the initial
round of the Paycheck Protection
Program, which ran out of funding last
week.
Across Queens, too many small businesses
were bypassed by the application
process as larger companies had stronger
relationships with large banks and lending
institutions, according to the Queens
Chamber of Commerce.
“Queens is the most hard-working,
vibrant, diverse county in America.
Together, as a community, we are certain
we will overcome this challenge,” Queens
Chamber of Commerce President and
CEO Tom Grech said. “But right now,
we need help from the federal government.
To date, I have not spoken to a single
small business that has gotten a single
cent from the Paycheck Protection
Program. Th is is unacceptable. Action
needs to be taken now to save small businesses
in Queens, and across the country.”
Th e government pledged $350 billion for
neighborhood small businesses to get lowcost
loans to keep their payrolls intact but
too much went to publicly traded companies
with thousands of employees instead
of Main Street mom-and-pop operations.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of
Queens, and communities across the
country,” Grech said. “With unemployment
reaching unprecedented levels, and
business owners grappling with how to
make payroll, pay rent and keep up with
other expenses, the time to act is now. We
don’t have a moment to waste with inaction
or play partisan politics.”
Grech added that the new relief package
must also contain additional funding not
just for small businesses, but for state and
local governments as well.
“We are already seeing the strain that
the COVID-19 pandemic and economic
downturn have had on our city budget,”
Grech said. “Businesses rely on essential
services like police, fi re and emergency
response. If local governments can’t aff ord
to adequately fund these services, there
will be no economic recovery.”
Congressman Gregory Meeks said that
the next round of funds should be allocated
to assist the application process
for very small businesses unfamiliar with
the federal Small Business Administration
which is running the PPP.
“We applaud Congressman Gregory
Meeks and support his call for Congress
to allocate another $350 billion for PPP
and for greater transparency about how
these funds are distributed,” Grech said.
“Th e Queens Chamber looks forward to
working with our leaders in Washington
to deliver small businesses the support
they need right away.”
Th e Queens Chamber of Commerce is
the oldest and largest business association
in Queens, representing more than 1,150
businesses and more than 100,000 borough
based employees.
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