Chamber Works on Donation of 10,000 Bagels to Food Pantry

QUEENS CHAMBER HAPPENINGS GROUPS PARTNER TO DELIVER FOR PANTRY

BY EVAN TRIANTAFILIDIS

A donation of 10,000 bagels arrived at La Jornada Food Pantry, courtesy of Bagels by Bell, REIL Capital and the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

At its peak during the pandemic, La Jornada Food Pantry, located in the Bland Houses Community Center in Flushing, served upwards of 10,000 families a week, about ten times the need than before the pandemic started.

The donation of bagels and bialys was welcomed by Pedro Rodriguez, executive director of La Jornada. The food pantry has been serving the Flushing community and surrounding neighborhoods fighting food insecurity for 13 years, and more recently serving the thousands of families who have been impacted by both the pandemic and extreme weather.

“It’s scary,” said Rodriguez. “In the richest city in the world, the richest country in the world, people may have died of hunger.”

Public officials celebrated the donation of bagels that will be distributed out by La Jornada, while speaking to the hardships seen by the business community and the food pantry over the last year and a half.

In addition to being located in the epicenter of the pandemic, La Jornada suffered damage from Hurricane Ida earlier this month when its ground-level pantry was flooded with two feet of water.

“We have seen the inequities that families in Queens face and how our constituents have been detrimentally affected,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng. “Our families here in Queens have gone through so much. It really means a lot that we have other small businesses in the private sector looking in and stepping up to help our community.”

Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz praised partnership between the chamber, Bagels by Bell of Oceanside, and Manhattan-based REIL Capitol.

“We would not be able to do this if it wasn’t for everyone working together,” said Cruz. “Governing should be something that is done cooperatively.”

After touring the community room, Cruz lent some hope to a community that has seen small businesses and residents suffer due to the pandemic.

“Our beloved neighborhood saw thousands of people get sick and die, thousands of businesses closed and many didn’t reopen,” she said. “Unfortunately, many will probably close before the end of the year

“It’s disheartening, because sometimes you feel like no matter how much you do, it’s never going to help,” she added. “But I’m here to tell you that you can help.”

QUEENS CHAMBER HAPPENINGS

The Queens Chamber of Commerce Foundation hosted its Annual Golf Outing and Dinner at Garden City Country Club last month after taking a year off due to the pandemic. The Chamber honored Century Development Group, Zara Charitable Trust, and Investors Bank for their contributions to the business community of Queens.

The Queen Chamber of Commerce set sail for the second time this summer on the Skyline Princess, this time with representatives from the New York Islanders and UBS Arena. They sailed to the Statue of Liberty before returning to the World’s Fair Marina to go to the Statue of Liberty National Monument. We’re excited to welcome UBS Arena, home of the NY Islanders, to neighboring Nassau County. Joining the cruise was four-time Stanley Cup champion John Tonelli.

QUEENS CHAMBER HAPPENINGS CHAMBER HELPS RESTORE 9/11 MURAL

BY EVAN TRIANTAFILIDIS

A mural honoring three local residents killed on 9/11 has been given new life with a fresh coat of paint, marking the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

The faces of Marcello Matricciano, Edward Lehman and James Cartier can be seen on the wall of N&R Deli at the corner of 25th Avenue and 77th Street in East Elmhurst.

Originally painted in 2015 by nonprofit group Groundswell, a restoration process was started after funding was secured by the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber president and CEO Thomas Grech said he noticed the mural was in need of a touch-up during one of his many breakfast trips to the deli. The chamber’s headquarters is located not far away.

“One day in July, the phone started ringing when I was getting my eggs,” said Grech. “I went out to answer the phone and I looked up at this wall. For those of you who haven’t seen it lately, it was starting to peel.”

Soon after, local artists Benny Guerra and Carlo Nieva began scraping and peeling off the old paint that had been weathered and beaten over the past six years since the mural was created.

“We tried to save as much of the original paint as possible,” said Guerra. “By the time we peeled all of it off, about 60 percent of the mural needed attention.”

The artists referenced photographs taken from the mural’s original dedication, applying a coat of primer and color-matching the old and new paint. The 16-by-40-foot mural will soon be given another clear coat to extend its life even further.

“My favorite part is the integration of the old World Trade Center towers with the Freedom Tower,” said Nieva. “They are patriots.”

Deputy Chief Kevin Williams of the NYPD extended his thoughts to the families of the 9/11 victims

The mural was restored just in time for the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

who were in attendance for the rededication of the mural.

“I think this is symbolic of the American spirit and the New York spirit,” said Williams. “Over the years, this mural may have been battered and worn, but same thing as that day. We came back, made it stronger, and made our country better.”

John Cartier, the brother of one of the victims honored in the mural, expressed his gratitude for all those involved in restoring the mural. He remembers his brother, who died at 26 years old, as full of life and always having something funny to say.

“I think it’s important as family members to recognize all of you who have carried us through a time of darkness,” said Cartier. “All of you in this neighborhood were the light.”