FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 19, 2019 • HOLIDAY GUIDE • THE QUEENS COURIER 59
holiday guide
Van Bramer launches 10th annual holiday food drive
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Western Queens residents hoping to
donate to the less fortunate this holiday
season can support Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer’s 10th annual food drive.
All collected items will go to the women
and children who receive services at the
Long Island City-based nonprofi t Hour
Children.
Th e food drive allows members and
friends of the community to donate
non-perishable food items such as canned
meats, canned soups, canned vegetables,
canned or dried fruit, infant formula, peanut
Photo via Getty Images
Astoria restaurant teams up with local businesses for Ugly Sweater Coat Drive
BY JESSICA MILITELLO
Ovelia Psistari Bar collaborated with
small businesses in Astoria on Dec. 12
to collect winter coats for the New York
Cares nonprofi t organization for its 2019
Ugly Sweater coat drive.
Th e family-owned Greek restaurant
joined with nearby businesses like Sugar
and Water, which provided their doughnuts
decorated festively for the Christmas
season, as well as Chips, which supplied
their delicious and decadent cookies to
support the event, which collects gently
used warm coats to be distributed to
individuals in need throughout the New
York City area.
“It’s really a sense of community for this
year’s event,” said Chris Giannakas, one of
Ovelia’s owners. “It’s really nice and we’re
very happy with the results. Last year we
fi lled up the van, hopefully we can double
it; that’s the goal this year.”
Over the years, Ovelia has organized
several coat drives and toy drives around
the holiday season in order to give back
to the community. But in the past two
years, the owners thought it would be a
great idea to collaborate with their fellow
small-businesses to further involve the
Astoria community and bring in as many
coats as possible.
Once individuals and businesses register
with New York Cares, they provide
marketing materials for events and once
coats are collected, they are dropped off
to a location in Midtown, Manhattan,
in order to be inspected and distributed
to New Yorkers in need. Astoria-based
bloggers like Astoria Gossip and Give Me
Astoria worked with the restaurant to promote
the event throughout the neighborhood.
Aside from complimentary doughnuts
and cookies, Ovelia also off ered complimentary
appetizers from the menu, like
their feta cubes, lightly breaded shrimp,
and zesty taquitos. In addition to tasty
snacks, there was a fun holiday themed
photo booth, and DJ Ody Roc was at the
event spinning upbeat music creating a
fun and lively environment for all.
As event-goers started piling in adding
to the quickly growing collection of coats
it seemed the goodwill cheer was abundant
within the Astoria community.
“Th is is all grassroots and local,” said
Giannakas. “Last year I reached out to
other businesses and this year I involved
some more people and others have
reached out to us, and this is all in conjunction
with New York Cares so we’re
expecting to have double the amount of
coats that we got last year.”
Photo by Jessica Militello
butter, dried goods, and other pasta,
rice and grains.
“It’s an honor to help people in need,
food is a basic need for all of our residents
and our holiday food drive is a way
to address that need,” Van Bramer said.
“I represent a community of people who
are determined to overcome obstacles.
My role as a Council member has led me
to meet many families who try to shoulder
great burdens. Th e holiday food drive
is a small, yet an eff ective way of helping
those families who rarely, if ever, reach
out for help.”
Participants may drop food off at any
of the seven locations around western
Queens, including Van Bramer’s district
offi ce located at 47-01 Queens Blvd.
Suite 205 in Sunnyside, or at any of the
Queens Public Library branches in western
Queens, including the new Hunters
Point Library on Center Boulevard in
Long Island City.
“Hour Community Food Pantry serves
our local residents but also people from
throughout Queens and beyond,” Hour
Children Development Director Megan
Campbell said. “We handled nearly
10,000 visits last year from people in need,
an increase over prior years. Th is time of
year, people are incredibly generous. But
hunger of course is year-round, and donations
are what keeps us going.”
In 1986, Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, helped
develop a home in Long Island City for
children whose mothers were incarcerated.
She got to know the mothers when she
brought their children to visit, and quickly
realized that the women would need
additional support if they were to successfully
reunite with their children aft er
their release. Incorporated in 1992, Hour
Children has since become a leading provider
of prison- and community-based
family services to support women and
children as they reunite, stabilize and
transform their lives.
“We’re grateful for great friends who
remember us and their neighbors in
need even when the holidays are over,”
Campbell said. “Th e mission of Hour
Children is to help incarcerated and formerly
incarcerated women and children
successfully rejoin the community,
reunite with their families, and build
healthy, independent, and secure lives.
Th e organization boats multiple programs
to include women working programs,
mental health support, community outreach
and pantry, and supportive housing.”
For more information regarding the
holiday food drive, contact Van Bramer’s
district offi ce at 718-383-9566.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer launched the 10th annual holiday food drive across western Queens.
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