FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM APRIL 16, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Acts of Kindness Send your Acts of Kindness to editorial@qns.com
Whitestone residents fundraise for healthcare workers
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Whitestone residents are working
together to support healthcare providers
on the frontlines during the coronavirus
pandemic.
A GoFundMe campaign initiated by
Karra Puccia aims to raise funds for meals
and hospital supplies for healthcare workers
Courtesy of Karra Puccia
Medical staff at Plainview Hospital receive a dinner delivery from Karra Puccia, who began a
GoFundMe campaign to help healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo courtesy of Puccia
FDNY and EMT workers at Fort Totten
in need.
Puccia is joined by Laura Copersino
of Th e Daniel Copersino Foundation,
Alfredo Centola of We Love Whitestone
Civic Association, Jessica Baeza and
Karishma Rahman Azmat.
Th eir goal is to raise a total of $10,000. To
date, they have collectively raised $8,000
from generous donors. Th ey are working
with local restaurants to help support
them during the pandemic, and coordinating
logistics of deliveries to medical
staff throughout Queens, Manhattan and
Long Island.
Some of the local restaurants that have
stepped up to provide quality meals at
a discounted price include Bagel Parlor,
Frankys Gyro, Liola, Concettina, Villagio,
Nana’s Good Eats, Th e Clinton and more.
For Puccia, it’s been an “amazing experience”
watching the fundraising grow,
she said. She began the fundraising eff ort
with her brother, Kraig Puccia, on March
20.
“To see it balloon into a community
eff ort has been really nice,” Puccia said.
“We are stronger together.”
Puccia has been making some of the
deliveries to NewYork-Presbyterian
Queens Hospital and Fort Totten, which
is serving as the headquarters for ambulances
and EMTs that have come to help
from around the country.
“Th e FDNY is overburdened and to
see those EMTs come in on ambulances
with license plates from all over the country
— Colorado, Arkansas, Tennessee and
Minnesota — left me so grateful for their
service to our suff ering city. I thought
those brave men and women are New
Yorkers today,” Puccia said.
For Azmat, it’s been a privilege coordinating
with a group of kind, proactive and
passionate citizen-leaders to help serve
their frontline heroes, she said.
“My family has been focusing our
eff orts for meal-drops for the Elmhurst
Hospital ER staff particularly, and have
been proud to support eff orts across the
Queens Hospital system,” Azmat said.
“Th e world seems dark sometimes, we’re
all working to light candles together.”
THE ANIMALS ARE
DEPENDING ON US TO BE HERE
FOR THEM... CRISIS OR NOT
North Shore Shore Animal Animal League America America is facing facing critical critical challenges challenges during the
coronavirus pandemic pandemic – but that will will never never change change our NO-KILL PROMISE to
care care for for homeless dogs, cats, puppies, and and kittens.
PLEASE DONATE A GIFT TODAY
Give what you can to help us through this emergency. We must continue
our mission to rescue; provide shelter, medical care, and nourishment;
and adopt out homeless pets during the COVID-19 crisis.
YOU CAN SAVE THE LIVES OF INNOCENT
ANIMALS NOW. VISIT animalleague.org
or CALL 516-883-7575 RR006
#AloneTogether
If there is one good thing that we’re learning from this Corona
Virus crisis, it’s that it brings out the best in people when
confronted with something extreme. THANK YOU to the friends,
families, companies and local businesses that continue to
generously contribute to help QCP “weather the storm” and help
protect our staff and residents.
We may be practicing social distance, but TOGETHER we
will thrive and persevere in the coming months.
About Queens Centers for Progress:
Queens Centers for Progress is committed to providing
person-centered services and supports to children and adults who have
developmental disabilities. The goal of these services and supports is to
promote independence, community involvement, and quality of life.
DONATE NOW
www.queenscp.org
Text SupportQCP to 71777 to donate $25
/animalleague.org
link
/www.queenscp.org
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
/www.queenscp.org
link
link
