26 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 5, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Union carpenters and contractors kick off holiday
season of giving with several Queens events
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Union carpenters and contractors
kicked off their season of giving
with three events in Queens including
a Th anksgiving food drive with
Councilwoman Adrienne Adams.
Th e New York City and Vicinity District
Council of Carpenters and the Carpenter
Alliance of Metropolitan New York delivered
warm Th anksgiving meals and turkey
to communities in need. Th ey will
donate nearly $100,000 to the food drive
this week and an upcoming toy drive
throughout the holiday season.
“Th e holidays should be a happy time
but unfortunately there are many families
and individuals in Queens who cannot
aff ord a Th anksgiving meal or have
no one to share it with even if they could,”
Adams said. “I am proud to collaborate
with local organizations not just to provide
a wonderful dinner but a sense of fellowship.
Our unifying Th anksgiving feast
is something that the community can
look forward to every year.”
Union carpenters and contractors
began their volunteer eff orts in East
Elmhurst with state Senator Jessica
Ramos and other co-sponsoring organizations
as they delivered turkeys to the
elderly and families in need. Th en they
joined Councilman Francisco Moya in
Corona before joining Adams to distribute
warm Th anksgiving meals for residents
of homeless shelters and families in
need in Jamaica.
“Th e District Council strives to uphold
our value of giving back to the communities
where we live and work, and our union
is proud to have partnerships with elected
offi cials like Councilwoman Adams
that have enabled us to reach families and
individuals who need our support during
this holiday season,” Executive Secretary-
Treasurer Joseph Geiger said. “It it our
hope that our eff orts made Th anksgiving
special for families across Queens.”
Also in Jamaica, businessman and
property owner Robin Eshaghpour has
partnered with the Sutphin Boulevard
BID to bring free hot meals to go on
Th anksgiving to anyone who may be in
need, in memory of his father Mehdi
Eshaghpour, who was a longtime businessman
on Sutphin Boulevard.
Moya joins community groups to distribute 1,000 turkeys to families in Corona
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
One of the owners of the borough’s
new professional soccer team joined
Councilman Francisco Moya and numerous
community organizations to host four
turkey drives ahead of Th anksgiving.
In a two-day eff ort that began Sunday
aft ernoon at the Park of the Americas in
Corona and continued Monday at the
Alberta L. Alston House, an assisted living
facility in Corona, the Langston Hughes
Community Library and LeFrak City, volunteers
distributed 1,000 turkeys to area
families.
“Th is is what Th anksgiving is all about,”
Moya said. “We had so many people and
organizations, not just from Corona or
Queens but across the city, come together
in the spirit of giving to help us make this
event possible. Access to health and fresh
food should never be considered a luxury,
but for too many people that’s exactly
what it is. Th at’s why it’s such a privilege to
help make the holidays a little more special
for these families.”
Jonathan Krane, the leader of the
ownership group that is bringing the
Queensboro Football Club to the borough
in 2021, helped distribute the turkeys.
“It’s an absolute privilege and a joy to
help put some smiles on faces and turkeys
on dinner tables,” Krane said. “Th is
was truly a team eff ort and an example of
what’s possible when we work together as
a community.”
Among the organizations that took part
were the New York City and Vicinity
District Council of Carpenters and Iconic
32 Sports Lab, the performance enrichment
program created to help inner-city
youth maximize their potential on and off
the sports fi elds.
“One of the most powerful gift s you
can give in life is giving back to the community
that you grew up in,” Iconic 32
Sports Lab Co-founder Steve Espaillat
said. “It’s a great feeling to know that due
to our collective eff orts, 1,000 families will
share a meal with their loved ones this
Th anksgiving.”
Other groups taking part in the eff ort
included Colorwerx, General Building
Laborers’ Local 79, Precision Concierge
NY, CCA Metro, the Ideal Food Basket in
Corona and AG Power.
“All I can say is Corona made me,” AG
Power Owner Alex Guzman said. “Th is
is where my father started it all; these are
the people who helped get us where we
are. To give back to the community is a
privilege. You see, one of the things I’ve
learned is you don’t give to receive, you
give because you’re thankful and above all
because I know my compensation comes
from God.”
Courtesy District Council of Carpenters
Union carpenters and contractors kickoff their season of giving in Jamaica.
Photo courtesy of Moya’s offi ce
Councilman Francisco Moya worked with local community groups to distribute 1,000 Thanksgiving turkeys to Corona families.
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