Lending A Hand In Sunnyside

When fire gutted a strip of stores in Sunnyside on August 21, many business owners were left with nothing. On September 29, the owners of Cherry Valley Dairy, The Chipper, The Butchers Block, Nams Sun Market and Blooms Public House on Queens Boulevard received a little help from the City of New York in the form of $1,000 checks from the Department of Small Business Services Emergency Response Unit presented by its director, Bernadette Nation.
"The money will help out. Were going to rebuild across the street next to the Burger King. Hopefully, well be able to start construction next week," said Mike Roche, of The Butchers Block.
And that wasnt all. Since the fire struck the group of businesses, the Department of Small Business Emergency Response Unit has helped to alleviate the effects of the damage by expediting the FDNY fire report for insurance purposes, communicating with ConEdison to get the power restored and contacting the Department of Buildings and the Department of Health on behalf of the owners to assist in getting food debris cleaned up as fast as possible.
While the money, which comes not from taxes, but from private donations, may seem only like a drop in the bucket, when a business is damaged or destroyed and cleanup can include anything from pumping water to purchasing new inventory and equipment, every little bit counts.
"We were closed for a month because the basement was flooded and there was smoke damage," said Paul Gallen, owner of The Chipper. "The main problem was that ConEdison cut our electricity and gas, and then everything had to be cleaned. Just starting up again was the hardest part and a thousand bucks is great."
When the checks were distributed, Luke Adams, executive director of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, thanked Councilman Eric Gioia, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Community Board 2, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator George Onorato.
"Every little bit of help that this community can get is appreciated," said Gerald Lederman, president of the chamber. "The City of New York has been fantastic to this community. Theyve done everything that can possibly be done to restore Sunnyside to its former glory."
Other businesses on the strip such as the Dunkin Donuts outlet, Blue Skies and Pronto Envio have not yet contacted the Department of Small Business and thus were not able to collect emergency aid. Nation stressed that while the 30-day deadline had passed, owners may still be able to receive financial help.