*NEWS* QUEENS ANNOUNCES EXTENSION OF INITIATIVE WITH FRESHDIRECT TO HELP STEM FOOD INSECURITY
Grocery Boxes, Beverages for Two Additional Months to Aid Families in Need
(April 26, 2020 at 1:39pm)
QUEENS, NY – Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee today announced a two-month extension to Queens’ partnership with FreshDirect’s citywide initiative — dubbed “Operation 5-Borough Food Drive” — to help Queens residents and families weather food insecurity during the ongoing public health and economic emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning Monday, April 27, 500 grocery boxes per day prepared by FreshDirect, supplemented with beverages generously donated by Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, will be picked up by participating Queens non-profit community-based organizations (CBOs) to distribute amongst their clients, including seniors, low-income families and other vulnerable populations across all 14 Queens Community Districts. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will continue to assist in transporting some of the bulk grocery boxes to limited CBOs.
“Social distancing does not mean familial isolation,” said Borough President LEE. “As our city continues to battle these extreme public health and economic crises, Queens thanks FreshDirect and Liberty Coca-Cola for moving swiftly and in collaboration to extend this vital initiative and to help stem the tide of food insecurity. Queens is also deeply grateful to our non-profit community partners for their brave, unwavering commitment to serve the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“FreshDirect is extremely thankful to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Sanitation Commissioner and current New York City Food Czar Kathryn Garcia, Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee, and all of the numerous partners throughout the Borough of Queens who supported the extension of ‘Operation 5-Borough Food Drive,’” said FreshDirect Vice President of Public Affairs LARRY SCOTT BLACKMON. “From Astoria to the Rockaways, families throughout Queens are in need. We are very grateful to continue the distribution of food through this relief effort with Acting Borough President Lee.”
“It is part of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverage’s mission to invest in the communities we serve,” said MAYRA LINARES-GARCIA, VP of Public Affairs & Communications, Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages. “We are proud to partner with Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee on ‘Operation 5-Borough Food Drive’ to provide essential beverages in a community that many of our family, friends and loved ones call home.”
The first four weeks of the food drive between March 24 through April 17 — launched with the assistance of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and made possible in part by a $10,000 donation from The Coca-Cola Company — featured daily deliveries of 400 grocery boxes per day to the Borough of Queens, with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey assisting in transporting some of the bulk grocery boxes to limited CBOs.
By the end of the initiative’s first four weeks, approximately 7,600 grocery boxes were distributed across more than three dozen Queens CBOs, to be provided to families in need in every corner of the borough.
The Queens CBOs participating in the extended initiative, as well as the more than three dozen that participated in the first four weeks of “Operation 5-Borough Food Drive” — many of which had partnered in recent years with the Queens Borough President’s Office on various food distributions — include:
- AIDS Center of Queens County in Jamaica
- All Nations Baptist Church in Woodhaven
- Bethel Arverne AME Church in Far Rockaway
- Catholic Charities: St. Mary’s of Winfield in Woodside
- Catholic Charities: St. Raphael in Long Island City
- Center of Hope International Bread of Life Food Pantry in Long Island City
- Children’s Village in Far Rockaway
- Chinese American Planning Council, Inc. (CPC) Queens Community Center in Flushing
- Church of the Ascension in Elmhurst
- CommonPoint Queens – Sam Field Center in Little Neck
- Dominico-American Society of Queens in Corona
- DSI International, Inc. in Jamaica
- Elmcor Youth and Adult Activity, Inc. in Corona
- Elmhurst Community Partnership in Elmhurst
- Flora Ministries, Inc. in Jackson Heights
- Forestdale, Inc. in Forest Hills
- Fultoli Jame Masjid & Islamic Institute Ozone Park, Inc. in Ozone Park
- GP Koirala Foundation, America
- Harding Ford Vision, Inc. in Jamaica
- Heart of Rockaway Civic Association in the Rockaways
- Hour Children in Long Island City
- Hungry Monk Rescue Truck in Ridgewood
- Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA) Rockaway Park Senior Center in Rockaway Park
- Lebanon Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Laurelton
- LIC Relief in Long Island City
- Make the Road New York in Jackson Heights
- New Greater Bethel Ministries in Queens Village
- Our Lady of Grace in Howard Beach
- Peter Cardella Senior Citizens Center in Ridgewood
- Project Hope Charities, Inc. in Jamaica
- Quality Services for the Autism Community in Astoria
- Queens Centers for Progress in Jamaica
- Queens Community House in Flushing and Kew Gardens
- Queens Together in Astoria
- River Fund New York in Richmond Hill
- Rochdale Village Senior Center in Jamaica
- Services Now for Adult Persons, Inc. (SNAP) in Queens Village
- Shepherd’s House Open Bible Church in Ozone Park
- St. Mary Gate of Heaven in Ozone Park
- Sunnyside Community Services’ Center for Active Older Adults in Sunnyside
- Sutphin Boulevard Local Development Corporation in Jamaica
- Tabernacle of Emmanuel Full Gospel Assemblies in Woodhaven
- Tibetan Community Center of New York and New Jersey in Woodside
- Tzu Chi USA in Flushing
- Voices of Hagar in Jackson Heights
Each grocery box, provided free of charge by FreshDirect, will contain the following:
- Rice (2 bags, 16oz)
- Pasta (2 boxes, 16oz)
- Canned beans (2 cans, 10-16oz)
- Canned meat/fish (2 cans, 3-5oz)
- Canned vegetables (2 cans, 8-15oz)
- Raisins/dried fruit (4 boxes, 2oz per box)
- Cereal/oatmeal (1 box, 10-20oz)
- Milk/milk substitute (1 container, 32oz)
- Corn (2 ears)
- 2 potatoes (two)
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- Orange/apple (2 in total)
Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, LLC is a privately-owned bottler that operates production facilities in Philadelphia, PA, Moorestown, N.J., and Elmsford, N.Y. and sales and distribution centers in Philadelphia, PA, Marmora and South Brunswick, NJ; the Bronx, Maspeth, Elmsford, New Windsor, and Smithtown, NY. For more information, visit us at www.LibertyCoke.com, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Photos available upon request.
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