CENTRAL QUEENS Y DONATES 500 BAGS TO NEEDY

The Central Queens Y in Forest Hills is giving back to the community by providing food and personal items to families in need.

Items were collected by local high schools and the Central Queens Y and the Samuel Field Y during a two-month drive.

On Monday, volunteers in Forest Hills packed up 500 personalized tote bags filled with items that were delivered to SCO Family Services sites in Jamaica and Rockaway Park.

“We reached out to six locations who deal with youth and the homeless, and based on their needs, we’ve provided them with items,” said Lisa Elhyani, director of adult and senior programming at Central Queens Y. “This is our major project on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it’s the first time we’ve done something like this. I hope we do it next year too.”

The personalized tote bags include food products such as canned vegetables, or personal hygiene products that cannot be purchased with food stamps.

Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing of Queens, a partner of the Central Queens Y, also donated 100 canned food items and provided transportation for many of the boxes.

“Being in this community, this is something we wanted to do in order to help out,” said Heather Leizerson, hospital liaison for the organization. “When we spoke with Lisa, she mentioned that they might not have transportation for the items, and we were definitely happy to donate the van so the items can get to where they needed to be.”

Most of the 150 volunteers were local community members, from young children to senior citizens. Some people, like those at a local law firm, had the day off and wanted to use the time to give back.

While they are no longer accepting donations for this particular initiative, donations are always being accepted for the Central Queens Y’s food pantry.