26 NOVEMBER 26, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens leaders team up with carpenters
union to distribute food to those in need
BY DEAN MOSES
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
With Thanksgiving on the
horizon and the number
of Queens residents suffering
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 three-day 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.
The first distribution took place
beneath a small gazebo outside a
local library, where those who preregistered
formed a queue along
Astoria Boulevard. Moya took the
time to greet each attendee and made
a special effort 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
first, 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
Thanksgiving 2020 will be unlike
any other.
“I’m having Thanksgiving 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
Thanksgiving, 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
first to wait in line for 10 a.m. event.
“I’m going to cook at home, no
company — just myself, my niece and
Photos by Dean Moses
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. They 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 Thanksgiving, it’s
gonna last longer,” Jones said.
A second turkey drive — which
also offered 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 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 firsthand.
“I’ve represented this area for the
last couple of years. This 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. “The 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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