July 21, 2021 By Ryan Songalia
Over 200 families received hot meals and food items this past Friday at a food distribution event in Corona.
City Council Member Francisco Moya partnered with five local businesses – Nixtamal, Café Rubio, Dalton’s Bar and Grill, Keica’s Catering and La Cienega Las Tlayudas De Oaxaca – to distribute food at the Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, located at 104-11 37th Ave. Food items, provided by Met Council, were also distributed.
The food distribution is part of a program where Moya has allocated $50,000 to the nonprofit Hispanic Federation to provide 5,000 meals to food-insecure families and older New Yorkers in East Elmhurst and Corona.
Over 2,500 meals have been distributed in the area in recent weeks, with help from community organizations like Elmcor Senior Services, Florence E. Smith Senior Services, East Elmhurst Corona Civic Association, Neighbors of the American Triangle and Iglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día.
“With many families still facing hardship and local businesses just getting back on their feet, it is critical we support our mom-and-pop shops and alleviate the burden brought on by this pandemic,” said Council Member Moya, who is running unopposed for reelection in District 21 after comfortably winning the Democratic Party’s nomination in last month’s primary elections.
“This program, in addition to putting protections against third-party delivery fees, is one of many ways we can help our local restaurants.”
Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, applauded Moya for helping combat food insecurity.
“As we weather the storm of the COVID-19 health crisis, families are struggling to put food on the table and local restaurants are still recovering from lost profits due to the pandemic. Ensuring that our community is well nourished with foods that are culturally suitable is our priority,” said Miranda.