FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Mets honor Queens small businesses
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
The New York Mets held a
special ceremony to recognize
Queens small businesses
ahead of last week’s game
against the St. Louis Cardinals
at Citi Field.
Th e Mets extended hundreds
of complimentary tickets to small
businesses that received grant
funding through the New York
City Economic Development
Corporation’s Queens Small
Business Grant Program, which
provided vital resources to small
businesses impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Th e initiative was made possible
by a generous donation
of $17.5 million from the
Steven and Alexandra Cohen
Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit
organization committed
to inspiring philanthropy and
community service.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood
of any local economy, and
that’s especially true in Queens,”
Mets Owner Steve Cohen said.
“Alex and I were glad to see
that the funds were distributed
quickly and into the right
hands, especially to minority
and women-owned businesses.
We’re proud to be part of this
diverse community, and we look
forward to seeing these
businesses thrive.”
As part of the “Queens Small
Business Comeback Night” at
Citi Field, the Mets and those in
attendance recognized the success
of the grant program, which
dispersed $14 million to 755
small businesses and street vendors,
with 90% of grants going
to minority and women-owned
businesses.
Th e program was launched last
January by NYCEDC in partnership
with Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards and
business lender Pursuit.
“My office was honored
to launch the Queens Small
Business Grant Program and
help provide a critical fi nancial
lifeline to more than 750 borough
small businesses, many of
which are minority-owned, facing
unprecedented uncertainty
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,”
Richards said. “We could
not be more thrilled by the success
of this program. Th ank you
to our hometown New York
Mets for recognizing this initiative
and the incredible small
businesses it assisted.”
When he took over as the
owner of the New York Mets
for $2.4 billion in 2020, Cohen
made a commitment to community
investment in the neighborhoods
surrounding Citi Field.
“We can’t thank Steve Cohen
enough for his generosity,”
NYCEDC Board Chair and
Restaurateur Danny Meter said.
“Through this partnership,
NYCEDC was able to off er a vital
lifeline to small businesses in
Queens who may have had to otherwise
close their doors for good.”
Th e program was aimed to
support minority-owned small
businesses and those located
in low- to moderate-income
neighborhoods.
Th rough the initiative, small
businesses and street vendors
with 20 or fewer employees were
able to receive up to $20,000 for
operating expenses.
Photo courtesy of NYCEDC
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards thanked Mets owner Steve Cohen for providing a fi nancial lifeline to small
businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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