QNE_p032

QC07212016

editorial 32 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 21, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SNAPS QUEENS THE UNISPHERE IN FLUSHING MEADOWS PARK // PHOTO BY LISA KEST-FEIN Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps). Needs of Queens’ hungry knows no season Just before Thanksgiving, a few short months from now, you will read about and see in action many food drives at houses of worship, banks, legislative offi ces and other institutions across Queens collecting nonperishable food items for those less fortunate across the borough. The turnout for these drives is wonderful, as always, because at that time of year, people naturally think not only of putting food on their own tables but also of those who can’t afford even a simple dinner for a family of four. Queens residents work very hard to make sure that everyone, regardless of their condition, is well fed for Thanksgiving; religious institutions do the same for their own holy days. The challenge is making sure that Queens’ neediest residents are fed the other 360+ days a year, and it is indeed a diffi cult task. Ask those who operate food pantries at Hour Children in Long Island City or Sacred Heart Church in Glendale. Beyond the holiday season, these pantries often deal with inadequate supplies of food to meet the needs of those seeking help. When the shelves become barren, somebody takes notice and makes a plea for help through the local newspapers and social media. The response comes, then ultimately fades before it is repeated. Queens’ economy has rebounded from very diffi cult times over the last eight years, but don’t be fooled. Too many of our people are still struggling to make ends meet. Jobs are growing in Queens, as a city Economic Development Corporation report noted last week. Wages, however, are not enough to meet the ever-increasing cost of living in a borough where, as another report cited, half of a tenant’s monthly income is dedicated just to paying the rent. Our borough faces the same complex socioeconomic challenges that the rest of the nation does, and long-term solutions from our elected leaders to them are not easy to come by. But we don’t need to wait for the government to help; we can do this ourselves. We imagine that most of our readers know of a civic, business or religious organization that actively works to provide food for the hungry. We encourage all of you to do whatever you can, however often you can, to make contributions to these organizations in their efforts to help the borough’s neediest people. Please give whatever cash you can to these groups so they can purchase food for those who come to them. Drop off nonperishable food items (and we don’t just mean cans of lima beans stashed in the back of your cupboard) as often as possible. If you can’t fi nancially help, become a volunteer at these food pantries and help them gather and distribute food. We know they will be grateful for whatever you can do to help some family in need. One of the Salvation Army’s slogans is “Need knows no season.” We need to recognize that those who hunger in our borough cannot be satisfi ed the rest of the year with a Thanksgiving turkey with the trimmings. THE QUEENS identify People are hungry now; let’s get them help now. PUBLISHER & EDITOR CO-PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA ART DIRECTOR ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR ARTISTS STAFF REPORTERS DIGITAL EDITOR CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS EVENTS COORDINATOR ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ, CHERYL GALLAGHER KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA BRIANNA ELLIS KATARINA HYBENOVA CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI JACLYN HERTLING DEBORAH CUSICK CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.qns.com editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com Entire Contents Copyright 2016 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. THE COURIER/File photo this PLACE


QC07212016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above