The Forum: FreshDirect, BP Link for Food Drive

FreshDirect, BP Link for Food Drive | March 28, 2020: To help keep borough residents and families prepared for the ongoing public health and economic emergency during the coronavirus pandemic, the Borough President’s Office and FreshDirect are partnering for “Operation 5-Borough Food Drive,” Acting Borough President Sharon Lee announced Tuesday.

Beginning Tuesday, March 24, and for the next four weeks, 400 grocery boxes a day prepared by FreshDirect will be picked up by participating Queens community-based organizations 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 with transporting some of the bulk grocery boxes to limited CBOs, Lee noted.

Each box, provided free of charge by FreshDirect, will contain:

Rice (two bags, 16 oz)
Pasta (two boxes, 16 oz)
Canned beans (two cans, 10-16 oz)
Canned meat/fish (two cans, 3-5 oz)
Canned vegetables (two cans, 8-15 oz)
Raisins/dried fruit (four boxes, 2 oz per box)
Cereal/oatmeal (one box, 10-20 oz)
Milk/milk substitute (one container, 32 oz)
Corn (two ears)
Two potatoes
One onion
One carrot
Orange/apple (two in total)

In addition, Nestlé Waters is donating 80,000 gallons of Poland Spring® brand water. And Boar’s Head will be donating 25,000 Pepperoni Pouches to the grocery boxes.

The Queens CBOs participating in the first week of the initiative include: Catholic Charities St. Mary’s Winfield in Woodside; Catholic Charities St. Raphael in Long Island City; Chinese American Planning Council, Inc. 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 Rockaway Park Senior Center in Rockaway Park; Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. 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. in Queens Village; Sunnyside Community Services’ Center for Active Older Adults.

“Social distancing does not mean familial isolation,” Lee said. “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.”

Any borough-based CBOs interested in participating in the remaining weeks of “Operation 5-Borough Food Drive” can call (718) 286-2680 or email info@queensbp.org, with the subject line “FreshDirect.”

Click here for full article.