WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 21
M.V. church assembling buckets to
help Puerto Rico cleanup from Maria
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
After Hurricane Maria left
a life-changing path of destruction
across Puerto Rico,
one Middle Village congregation is
organizing a diff erent kind of bucket
brigade to help the island repair and
rebuild.
Community United Methodist
Church is assembling care packages
fi lled with cleaning supplies that will
be sent to Puerto Rico, which was
blasted by the Category 4 Maria earlier
this week aft er taking a glancing
blow from Category 5 Hurricane Irma
earlier this month.
The care packages will consist of
round, clean 5-gallon buckets with
re-sealable lids containing all kinds
of essential items that will help the
disaster victims clean up from the
storm and return to some semblance
of normalcy as soon as possible.
Each bucket will contain the following
products:
• One 50-ounce bottle or two 25-ounce
bottles of liquid laundry detergent;
• One 12- to 16-ounce bottle of liquid
household cleaner that can be mixed
with water (spray cleaners will not
be accepted);
• One 16- to 18-ounce bottle of dishwashing
detergent;
• One can of air freshener (aerosol or
pump);
• One 6- to 14-ounce bottle of insect
repellent (aerosol or spray pump
with a protective cover);
• One scrubbing brush with a plastic
or wooden handle;
• 18 cleaning wipes (handy wipes or
reusable wipes, no terrycloth towels);
• 7 sponges (no cellulose sponges due
to mold growth);
• 5 scouring pads (no stainless steel/
Brillo pads or pads containing soap);
• 50 clothespins;
• One 100-foot-long or two 50-footlong
clotheslines (cotton or plastic);
• One roll of heavy-duty trash bags
(24 roll count, 33- to 45-gallon sizes);
• Five dust masks;
• Two pairs of dishwashing gloves
(should be durable for multiple
uses); and
• One pair of work gloves.
Residents can bring any of these
supplies to the church, and volunteers
will be assembling the buckets,
according to Pastor Delores Barnett.
The relief drive is being coordinated
in conjunction with Elmcor, which is
working with other houses of worship
across Queens.
Donated items can be dropped off every
day from 10 a.m. to noon and from
4 to 7 p.m. each day through Oct. 7 at
Community United Methodist Church,
located at 75-27 Metropolitan Ave.
Empty asphalt lot in Maspeth will be transformed into a greenspace
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
Local elected offi cials worked with
community leaders and state
agencies to get the state Department
of Transportation (DOT) to agree
to transform a neighborhood eyesore
in Maspeth from a barren strip of concrete
to a beautiful green space.
State Senator Joseph Addabbo,
Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley
and Assemblywoman Catherine
Nolan teamed up to get the DOT to
beautify the Flushing Avenue Triangle,
located between 59th Street and
59th Avenue, a project eight years in
the making.
“This is exactly how our government
should work,” Addabbo said.
“Elected offi cials, working together
with our residents and government
agencies, to improve the quality of
life throughout our communities.”
The state-owned property that
is the Flushing Avenue Triangle is
located within an industrial area
within Maspeth and is currently
used as a parking lot for auto repair
shops. As with many locations in industrial
areas, the Flushing Avenue
Triangle is lacking any green space.
“Throughout our city, especially in
manufacturing areas where there is
more truck traffi c, it’s important to
preserve and invest in new green
space for the community’s benefi t,”
Crowley said. “This once discarded
Flushing Avenue Triangle provided
just that opportunity, and I’m
thrilled DOT will be moving forward
with this beautifi cation project. Just
a little green space can go a long
way. My thanks to the state for their
cooperation and at long last we can
get this done.”
The triangle will soon be surrounded
by a gate and a new, 5-foot
fence, as well as new sidewalks. The
area will also be landscaped with
trees and new plantings. They expect
to begin the planting process during
the upcoming planting season, which
runs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 15.
“Advocating for street safety and
green space is important.” Nolan
said. “My thanks to Governor Cuomo,
Councilwoman Crowley, NYS DOT,
our local community board and Civic
leaders on a successful partnership
in advocating for improvements to
this site.”
Photo via Twitter/@RedCross
American Red Cross workers are shown on the ground in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico
