6
QUEENS WEEKLY, MAY 24, 2020
ROSEDALE AMERICAN LEGION VOLUNTEERS
DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO HUNDREDS IN NEED
BY TODD MAISEL
The line to the American
Legion Post 483 in Rosedale
snaked around the block
along Brookville Boulevard
on May 13.
Those waiting were
asked to provide social distancing
between each other,
and wear masks. But it was
worth the few hours wait
to get much needed food
provided by a multitude of
agencies to help people during
this COVID-19 and the
associated economic crisis.
“My husband lost his
job, and we are just trying
to get by – but even grocery
prices have gone through
the roof – I spend $500 a
month and it just keeps getting
more expensive,” said
Marlene Hurley, a resident
of Rosedale. “Getting this
food is so important to my
family and look how many
people are here. It really
helps.”
This food distribution
pantry is one of four American
Legion pantries and
one soup kitchen in the
south Queens area. They
each serve 300-400 people
each week, Legion officials
say.
The American Legion
post is made up of veterans
of all branches of the military,
led by its Commander,
Lee Blackmon, Vietnam
Veteran going back to 1969
combat duty. But Blackmon
realizes that he is now in
another war with “an enemy
that we can’t see.”
“A lot of people are out of
work so this time so we are
doing our most important
work here in the pantry,”
Blackmon said. “We are
helping the pantry to distribute
the food – we cannot
be a veterans organization
without being here for the
community.”
Blackmon, whose post
has been working the food
pantry for six years even
before COVID-19, said they
are down many volunteers
because of “fear of coronavirus.”
“There is not a lot of volunteering
because of the
fear, so the people who are
coming 0ut during this pandemic
are some of the most
brave people I have ever
met,” he said. ” Even though
we are a veterans organization,
we are warriors and a
lot of warriors have died –
that these volunteers have
come out to give food for
people who don’t have is the
best thing.”
He continued, “I’ve been
to Vietnam and I’ve seen
the wars but I’ve never seen
nothing like this. People
are putting their lives on
the line, people are dying
and getting sick – but the
volunteers are coming out
here, there couldn’t be anything
better.”
Much of the food is supplied
from a variety of
sources including City Harvest,
the Food Bank Senior
Program, and on this day,
and from Bishop Adrian
Beaumont, Church of God
in Christ, Blake Avenue in
Brooklyn who brought a
van loaded with bread.
“We are here to do our
part to help our fellow man,”
Bishop Beaumont said. “We
must all help each other in
this difficult time.”
Major Sharon Sweeting-
Lindsey vice commander
of post 483 and director
for the food pantry, led a
prayer service with volunteers
before opening the
doors to the long line of
people in need.
And like a true military
commander, the discipline
of her troops and those she’s
serving are important. Vets
marked the ground outside
for social distancing – Commander
Blackmon and
other vets patrolled the line
– everyone wearing masks.
Tables were set up inside
the 100-year-old building, a
former public school, where
each person was given a
choice of what food they
needed. Bags were also
put together for delivery to
home-bound seniors.
“As a retired major and
dietician I’ve always been in
the area of foodservice – so
when I retired I make sure
all of our military posts engaged
in selfless service to
the community,” Lindsey
said. “The challenge is people
who have never visited
a food pantry are now coming
to our pantry – we’ve
seen exponential growth in
terms of how many people
are coming. Some come
with a little bit of shame
because they never visited
a pantry before – we try to
take the indignity out of it.
We make them feel welcome,
feel that we are here to help
them – we greet them, and
make sure they get all the
food they need – we try
to make it a welcoming
experience.”
Members of the American Legion in Rosedale fed hundreds of residents left unemployed or hard pressed to buy food for their
families. A line was a block long. Photo by Todd Maisel
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