Meet Your Neighbor: Diana Walcott

My family has a long-term appreciation for Queens Community House's (QCH) presence in Forest Hills; our now teenaged daughter had been enrolled in the QCH Early Childhood Center. I became a supporter of QCH's mission, arising from its settlement origin, to continue to provide inter-generational neighborhood services.

In 2015, community-minded congregations sought volunteers to join with QCH in providing groceries to food insecure seniors and families. I, as an inaugural Queens Inter-Faith Pantry volunteer met with others every Wednesday afternoon to sort and pack groceries for distribution at QCH. In a full circle family moment, my daughter also volunteered at the Wednesday evening Inter-Faith Pantry, and she included a fundraiser request for direct donations to QCH to honor a religious obligation.

Moreover, during the pandemic, I volunteered on Thursday mornings to distribute groceries to families in need. Thereafter, QCH responded to a new food insecurity, and I now volunteer at QCH to distribute prepared/precooked meals. Throughout the pandemic, members of my congregation relied on food delivery and accumulated reusable delivery bags. I began an appeal for reusable bags which garnered great response; now I collect, disinfect and recycle over 100 bags to use on Wednesdays when distributing the QCH Pantry's prepared/precooked meals.

My family and I thankfully donate our time to QCH's growing efforts to provide services and support to our Forest Hills neighbors.

- Diana Walcott, Volunteer at the QCH Forest Hills Food Pantry