FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 30, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 23
Providing food — and hope — for people and pets across NYC
BY LESLIE GORDON AND MATT
BERSHADKER
A hallmark of the holiday season is
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
With 2022 approaching, many of us are
thinking of our New Year’s resolutions.
In 2021 we battled — and are still battling
— the COVID-19 pandemic, poverty,
homelessness and an increase in
crime. Additionally, there have been several
attacks on our fellow neighbors, allegedly
due to race, nationality, religious
beliefs and those with diff erent views.
Th e list goes on.
Th e question I want to ask is, what can
the average person do to make things better
? Well, I have some suggestions, some of
which are being done, others are not.
Vaccinations are as important as ever
and more testing for COVID-19 needs to
be done. Meanwhile, we should all be vigilant
in washing our hands, masking up
and minimizing risk as we try to get past
this terrible pandemic.
Th ose who are able could donate funds
to food kitchens and food pantries to help
feed the hungry.
Donating blood is vital, as there is a
shortage in our blood supply.
And those who are able can volunteer at
churches, temples and civic organizations
that help those in need.
In 2022, we should commit ourselves
to acts of kindness for our neighbors in
need. Th at includes our elderly neighbors
who need a helping hand.
Now I am not just talking — I try and
back up my talk.
I am Grand Knight of St. Anastasia
Knights of Columbus and my council is
involved in several works of charity.
I am a member of the American Legion
Post #103 in Douglaston and the Catholic
War Veterans in Glen Oaks Village.
I also help run two blood drives a year
for St. Anastasia Parish.
When it comes to helping others, some
people may say, “I don’t have the time.”
Well, I’m 72 years old and still work and
do fi nd the time.
I truly believe that helping the neighbors
in our community is truly a most
rewarding experience.
So, please make your 2022 New Year’s
resolution a commitment to helping our
neighbors in need and dedicating ourselves
to acts of kindness.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Bellerose
REMEMBERING THOSE
WE LOST IN 2021
As we celebrate the coming of a new
year, please take a moment to off er a
prayer for the members of our human
family lost to the pandemic in 2021.
We might not have known them personally,
but in this international community,
many of us have benefi ted from their
contributions.
Some might have harvested fruits, vegetables
and coff ee, or processed meat and
other produce that graced our tables;
some might have delivered mail or other
packages to our doors; some might have
taught our children the skills and knowledge
needed to reap benefi ts for us later;
and some might have worked to manufacture
a good or off er a service on which we
have come to rely.
Some might have shared their creative
or theatrical talent to enlighten and entertain
us; some might have saved lives or
provided comfort in a hospital; some
might have responded in the line of duty
to protect others; some might have transported
us to our jobs or to see family and
friends; and some might have raised families
and sacrifi ced heroically during wars
to keep this nation free.
All members of our human family
lost to the pandemic in 2021 should be
remembered.
Commonly, we are separated by nationality,
ethnicity, race and other categorizations,
but the pandemic has shown we are
all related in some way.
Glenn Hayes, Kew Gardens
op-ed
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compassion — a spirit of appreciation
and generosity that can extend
to both vulnerable people and pets in need.
Typically, we see those acts as separate, but
in many ways, they are connected. In the
work of both human social services and animal
welfare, it’s become clear that when you
help people, you help pets, and when you
help pets, you help people.
One of the most practical and direct
ways to act on this understanding is to
address the needs of both pets and people
in a shared setting. Nowhere is this
better illustrated than in the partnership
between Food Bank For New York City
and the ASPCA (Th e American Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals),
which have collaborated for the last four
years to serve both human and pet food
in soup kitchens and food pantries across
the city.
Th e impact of this partnership and philosophy
is vividly represented in personal
stories, such as the experience of
Jeannette Joseph-Greenaway, who works
at the Agatha House Foundation in the
Bronx. In addition to distributing pet
food at her main pantry, Jeannette also
delivers it to animal clinics around her
neighborhood. She bears constant witness
to strong bonds between people and
their pets.
“Most times, the concern is for children
and families, but the importance of pets
can’t go unnoticed,” she told us. “Some
animals serve therapeutic purposes, and
some are the only family our clients have.”
Finding innovative ways to address food
insecurity is more important than ever.
An estimated 1.6 million New Yorkers are
currently food insecure, a situation made
more severe by the spread of COVID-19.
More than 93% of Food Bank for New
York City partner agencies reported an
increase in fi rst-time visitors. And even as
the need for food rose, 47% of Food Bank
partner agencies across New York City
were forced to close temporarily due to
COVID restrictions.
On the animal side, increases in poverty
had a dramatic impact. Recent data collected
by the ASPCA estimates that more
than 4.2 million pets entered poverty due
to the economic fallout of COVID-19.
In response to immediate regional needs
during the start of the pandemic, the
ASPCA opened pet food distribution centers
in several cities, including New York
City, that ultimately provided more than
1,900 tons of emergency food for dogs,
cats and horses to struggling owners.
From July 2020 through June 2021,
Food Bank for New York City distributed
over 307,000 pounds of pet food to 89
agencies in its member network through
the ASPCA partnership. In addition to
serving an immediate need, the free food
also frees up money that struggling families
and individuals can put toward other
crucial household needs.
Th e free pet food also includes information
pet owners can use to access a
range of services provided by the ASPCA,
including low-and no-cost veterinary care
and spay/neuter surgeries.
When pet owners struggle, so do their
pets, and the appropriate response to
that challenge is not to point a fi nger but
off er a hand. Th ough some people wrongly
assume that low-income and housinginsecure
pet owners care less for their pets
than others, numerous studies — and personal
experiences by both of our teams —
demonstrate that the loving bonds and
deep dependencies between people and
their pets are unaff ected by income level
or living situations. Most pet owners love
and want to care for their pets; the only
diff erence is their depth of resources.
A bag of cat kibble makes a powerful
diff erence for people faced with nearly
impossible choices when they can’t
meet all of their critical responsibilities.
Just one form of support can help a person
or family overcome several diff erent
challenges.
Compassion can take many forms, but
none may be more valuable than the kind
that instantly delivers nourishment and
safety, and supports and preserves entire
families, pets included. Something as simple
as free food — even in a place as busy
and complicated as New York City — can
do all that and more.
Please visit the Food Bank for New
York City website and look for the “get
involved” tab to learn how to volunteer,
advocate and contribute.
Matt Bershadker is the CEO of the
ASPCA. Leslie Gordon is the CEO of Food
Bank for NYC.
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