38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • DECEMBER 17, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Maspeth advocate hosts online fundraisers for nonprofi t
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Catering for the Homeless (CFTH), a
local nonprofi t working to collect readymade
Richmond Hill-South Ozone Park Lions Club hosts annual tree lighting ceremony
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Local elected offi cials joined the
Richmond Hill-South Ozone Park Lions
Club (RHSOP) for the group’s second
annual tree lighting ceremony on Sunday,
Dec. 6, offi cially launching the beginning
of the holiday season in the community.
As one of the hardest-hit communities
this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic,
the Lions erected a 20-foot-tall pine tree,
even larger than last year, decorated with
multicolored lights to symbolize the resilience
and strength of the community.
Th e tree will remain in place at the
entrance of the bustling Little Guyana
shopping district at 133rd Street and
Liberty Avenue until Jan. 6 and will be lit
from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Th e Lions thanked
the NYPD’s 106th Precinct and Six Stars
Auto Sales for providing electrical power
for the duration of the lighting.
“We’re blessed to call this neighborhood
home. With this tree, we are showing
that our businesses, working families
and organizations are our strength
and we are proving that we can stand
up to any diversity by sticking together,”
said Romeo Hitlall, president of the Lions
Club. “Merry Christmas and stay safe.”
Dozens of families attended the socially
distanced event that began with a
prayer invocation by Pastor Beeram of the
Community Wesleyan Church, followed
by DJ Speedy’s musical selection of popular
Christmas songs from the U.S. and
Caribbean.
District Leader Richard David, who is
also a member of the Lions Club, said the
community has much to celebrate, even as
they refl ect and cope with the losses they
have faced this year.
“Th is is a community that celebrates
diversity. Just a few weeks ago, at this
same spot, we celebrated Diwali and here
we are celebrating Christmas,” David said.
“Th is year, our community completed the
Census, we voted in massive numbers and
provided food and clothing during the
height of COVID. We’re a resilient community,
Merry Christmas, everyone.”
Local elected officials such as
Councilwoman Adrienne Adams,
Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson
and Kenichi Wilson, chair of Queens
Community Board 9, joined the celebration.
Adams called for continued support of
neighbors and expressed gratitude to the
Lions Club, while in tears, noting the passing
of her father during the pandemic.
“At this time of the pandemic’s devastation,
the spirit of Christmas will accelerate
the healing, physical and emotional, in
our society,” Adams said.
Anderson said he’s proud to be a part of
this year’s celebration and looks forward
to working with everyone.
“Happy holidays to our friends and
neighbors. We must remain resilient in
spite of COVID-19,” Anderson said.
meals, fresh produce and nonperishable
items to feed people experiencing
homelessness and food insecurity,
is in need of donations to continue
their work.
For four years, CFTH, founded by
Maspeth advocate Crystal Wolfe, has
served more than 800,000 meals, 50,000
non-perishable food items, 50,000 toiletries,
20,000 clothing items and 20,000
socks throughout New York City, but
mainly in Queens.
CFTH has more than 120 partners,
including churches, food pantries, homeless
shelters and other nonprofi ts. Since
March, CFTH has helped restock more
than 30 food pantries across Queens,
thanks to some donations from community
members and small grants. However,
those funds are now gone, leaving Wolfe
to make up for it with her own personal
money.
“We desperately need donations in
order to continue and expand our eff orts,”
Wolfe wrote.
Wolfe expects to serve a minimum of
30,000 meals per week in 2021. She also
expects to procure at least 10,000 socks
for the homeless, 150,000 non-perishable
food items and hundreds of thousands of
fresh produce.
To continue their eff orts, CFTH is hosting
an online fundraiser where donors
can bid on one-of-a-kind celebrity items
and vacation getaways, which ends on
Dec. 18.
Th ey also have an ongoing GoFundMe
campaign to help feed individuals and
families most impacted by the COVID-
19 pandemic.
CFTH will use part of the donations to
develop their website so they can expand
their program and provide even more
meals to New Yorkers in need. Eventually,
Wolfe hopes to grow the nonprofi t to
serve more people on a national scale.
Wolfe believes hunger can be solved
by redistributing what is now considered
food waste — New York state generates
more than 250,000 tons of food
waste and food scraps per year, according
to the Department of Environmental
Conservation. She’s been advocating
for the New York City Department of
Education, in particular, to get on board
with her and encourage schools to distribute
their excess food.
“Th ere is food going to waste in every
town in America that no one needs to go
hungry,” Wolfe said. “Getting this food
excess to those who need it can solve, or
greatly reduce, this hunger crisis.”
For more information, visit their website
at www.cateringforthehomeless.com.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Wolfe
Photos by Geeta Mohan Cheddie
President of RHSOP Romeo Hitlall,
Councilwoman Adrienne Adams and
Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson at the Lions
Club’s second annual tree lighting ceremony.
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