FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 21, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Acts of Kindness Send your Acts of Kindness to editorial@qns.com
Community organizers raising funds to help ‘Keep Queens Warm’
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Astoria community organizers are hosting
a fundraiser and virtual event to help
fellow community members keep warm
this winter.
Transform America and Astoria Mutual
Aid Network (AMAN) are hosting “Keep
Queens Warm,” in partnership with the
national MLK Day of Service and the
Presidential Inaugural Committee, to help
provide space heaters to Astoria residents
in public housing who have been living
without gas and heat.
In less than two days, they raised nearly
$4,000 of their $5,000 goal on GoFundMe.
Transform America co-founder and
community activist who goes by Suga
Ray told QNS they are “excited to see the
community get behind an initiative like
this.”
“Clearly NYCHA is the worst landlord
in the country, and although love is
always needed, a little extra love is needed
for folks in NYCHA living without heat.
So, this initiative is imperative,” said Suga
Ray, who is a resident of Queensbridge
Houses. “It shows the power that lies in
the statement ‘We Take Care Of Us.’”
Th ere were currently 45 gas outages in
NYCHA buildings across the city, with
two of those in buildings at Ravenswood
Houses and Woodside Houses, as of
Th ursday, Jan. 14, according to NYCHA’s
website. An entire building at Astoria
Houses went nearly three months without
cooking gas before NYCHA fi xed the
outage.
In response, the two groups are collecting
donations to purchase at least 150
heaters, and then distribute them by the
end of the month.
Arielle Siegel, with AMAN, said their
original goal was 50 heaters.
“But thanks to the overwhelming support
from the community we were able
to raise our goal,” said Siegel. “We want to
help as many people as possible!”
Th ey will also collect new and gently
used winter clothing to distribute at
Queensbridge Houses on Jan. 22. Th ey
encourage those interested in donating
gently used socks, scarves, gloves and
hats at Rivercrest (at 33-15 Ditmars Blvd.
Astoria), LIC Kleaners (30-53 Steinway
St.) and Lockwood Astoria (32-15 33rd
St.).
“Th ese incredible businesses have been
very supportive of all of AMA’s eff orts
over the past 10 months,” Siegel said. “If
people do not live in Astoria or Queens
but still want to help, we encourage them
to contribute to our space heater fund.”
Suga Ray noted Transform America,
which has been helping feed neighbors
and hosting diff erent events at
Queensbridge Houses for months during
the pandemic, will continue their work to
unite the community.
“We transform America and change
the conditions far too many people have
been living with and in for far too long,
simply by loving our neighbors as we
love as ourselves and remember that
every person, including those deemed
the lowest, is deserving of love and the
basic human needs,” said Suga Ray.
“Together we rise!”
Transform America hosts an event at Queensbridge Houses.
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