FRESHDIRECT LAUNCHES FOOD INITIATIVE TO AID FAMILIES IN NEED
Donates 400 Grocery Boxes per Day to Queens for Four Weeks
(March 24, 2020 at 11:45am)
QUEENS, NY – Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee announced today a partnership with FreshDirect’s citywide initiative — dubbed “Operation 5-Borough Food Drive” — to help keep Queens residents and families prepared for the ongoing public health and economic emergency during the rapidly-developing COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning today and for the next four weeks, 400 grocery boxes a day prepared by FreshDirect will be picked up by participating Queens community-based organizations (CBOs) to distribute amongst their constituents, 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 assist transporting some of the bulk grocery boxes to limited CBOs.
“Social distancing does not mean familial isolation,” said Borough President LEE. “The next few weeks and months will be an unprecedented challenge. Queens thanks FreshDirect for moving swiftly and with foresight to help stem the tide of food insecurity on the near horizon. We can make a bigger impact against the curve if we act together and act now. Queens is also deeply grateful to our community partners for helping to ensure the most vulnerable are prepared in the coming weeks and months to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Queens CBOs participating in the very first week of the initiative — many of which had partnered in recent years with the Queens Borough President’s Office on various food distributions — include:
- Catholic Charities: St. Mary’s of Winfield in Woodside
- Catholic Charities: St. Raphael in Long Island City
- Chinese American Planning Council, Inc. (CPC) Queens Community Center in Flushing
- CommonPoint Queens – Sam Field Center in Little Neck
- Elmcor Youth and Adult Activity, Inc. in Corona
- HANAC, Inc. Ravenswood in Astoria
- Harding Ford Vision, Inc. in Jamaica
- Jewish Association for Services for the Aged (JASA) Rockaway Park Senior Center in Rockaway Park
- Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (KCS) Neighborhood Senior Centers in Corona and Flushing
- Our Lady of Grace in Howard Beach
- Peter Cardella Senior Citizens Center in Ridgewood
- Project Hope Charities, Inc. in Jamaica
- Queens Community House in Flushing and Kew Gardens
- River Fund New York in Richmond Hill
- Services Now for Adult Persons, Inc. (SNAP) in Queens Village
- Sunnyside Community Services’ Center for Active Older Adults in Sunnyside
Any Queens-based CBOs interested in participating in the remaining weeks of the FreshDirect initiative can call 718-286-2680 or email [email protected], with the subject line “FreshDirect.”
Each 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)
In addition, Nestle Waters is donating 80,000 gallons of water and Boar’s Head will be donating 25,000 Pepperoni Pouches to the grocery boxes.
Photos available upon request.
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