8 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 26, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Elected offi cials team up with carpenters union
to fi ght food insecurity ahead of holiday season
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
With Th anksgiving on the horizon and
the number of Queens residents suff ering
from food shortages at an all-time high,
Councilman Francisco Moya, Senator
Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman
Alicia Hyndman teamed with Union
Carpenters and Contractors for a threeday
tour to distribute free turkeys to those
in need.
Beginning on Nov. 20 and culminating
on Nov. 23, extensive lines consisting of
both children and seniors alike braved the
frigid cold while clinging to empty shopping
carts as the masses wrapped along
winding blocks, with many prepared to
wait hours in hopes of enjoying the holiday
with a hearty meal.
On Saturday, Moya helped the Union
Carpenters and Contractors hand out
turkeys to the community at the Queens
Public Library and the First Baptist
Church in East Elmhurst.
Th e fi rst distribution took place beneath
a small gazebo outside a local library,
where those who pre-registered formed
a queue along Astoria Boulevard. Moya
took the time to greet each attendee and
made a special eff ort to talk with children
who waited alongside their parents.
Unwilling to allow families to be turned
away empty-handed, Moya also scoured
the line for those arriving without registering
for the event fi rst, dispensing turkey
vouchers that could be redeemed
instantly at a nearby supermarket.
Two elderly neighbors opted to
attend the event together, keeping
each other company while
they waited for a turkey. From
waiting with strangers to the
inability to spend the
holiday with family
indoors, it was
clear to the East
Elmhurst residents
that
Th anksgiving 2020 will be unlike any
other.
“I’m having Th anksgiving dinner by
myself and my children are having dinner
at their own homes. If it is a nice day, we
are going to have dessert in the backyard,”
Joan Livingston told QNS.
Bertha Jones also wanted to ensure she
had access to a turkey this Th anksgiving,
so she joined Livingston outside the
Queens Library. Both women were
concerned they would have to wait in
unbearable cold, so they arrived promptly,
becoming fi rst to wait in line for 10
a.m. event.
“I’m going to cook at home, no
company — just myself, my niece
and granddaughter,” Jones
said.
While it will not be
the large and festive
Thanksgiving many
families are used to,
participants like
Jones appreciate
receiving a
free turkey that
will last her family
several days.
“I think people
need it. Th ey don’t
have jobs right now.
Money don’t last
long. If you started digging
in to the turkey
it just goes. If you
don’t have company
this Th anksgiving, it’s gonna last
longer,” Jones said.
A second turkey drive — which also
off ered other food items — took place
mere blocks away at First Baptist Church
located 100-10 Astoria Blvd., where hundreds
of individuals lingered around
every street surrounding the
church, even crossing adjacent
sidewalks where families
set up blankets and deckchairs,
hoping to make the
Photo by Dean Moses
lengthy wait time as comfortable as possible.
Moya, a lifelong resident of Corona, has
seen the ravages wrought by the pandemic
and the changes it has had on the community
fi rsthand.
“I’ve represented this area for the last
couple of years. Th is area right here —
East Elmhurst and Corona — was the
height of the pandemic in this country.
You can see that there’s been just a huge
issue here when it comes to the necessity
to feed our families. Our pantries
go around the block,” Moya said. “Th e
things that you see is families coming
out with their little kids and I always say
that those kids don’t know what’s going
on, but they’re going to grow up one day
and remember that they stood on a pantry
line every Saturday just to get food,
and that’s going to have a psychological
impact on them. A lot of folks are
either out of work or can’t be with their
families. Just a simple gesture of having
a holiday turkey they can have
for themselves, I think goes a long
way. Partnering up with my office
the Carpenters Union, the East
Elmhurst Corona Civic, the library
here, it’s just really demonstrates
that we’re here and that we care, and
whatever we can do, we are going to
continue to do that to help feed the
hungry families.”
In total, the Union Carpenters and
Contractors distributed 2,500 turkeys
over the course of a few days.
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