In celebration of the upcoming Jewish holidays, Commonpoint Queens was joined by over 30 volunteers on Sunday, Sept. 13, who assembled and delivered care packages of challah, apples and honey to 124 seniors in the Queens community.
The volunteer event, sponsored by the Fishman family, began with a virtual welcome meeting, followed by a virtual tour of the Queens County Farm Museum’s Honeybees, with care packages then picked up and delivered from the Sam Field Center in Little Neck.
Each volunteer made five deliveries, which also included personalized handwritten messages for each of the recipients.
“It was amazing to have an in-person volunteer event, but also to be able to celebrate the upcoming holidays in this new world that we’re living in,” said Amy Gaffney, director of volunteer services at Commonpoint Queens. “We danced, shared stories and had nice chats all while being socially distanced!”
One of the volunteers, Zev, 17, said it felt good to do something that made such a positive impact in the lives of neighborhood seniors.
“Everyone who we made deliveries to was so grateful to not only receive a care package, but to have social interaction even if it was a quick conversation,” Zev said.
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic was one of the dozens of volunteers in attendance for the day. Over the last several months, Rozic has also helped Commonpoint Queens by delivering meals to isolated seniors on several occasions.
“Amid the ongoing pandemic, we cannot forget the most vulnerable among us,” Rozic said. “Many seniors are spending the holidays alone this year, so I was gratified to join Commonpoint Queens in delivering Rosh Hashanah food packages to make the holidays a little brighter.”
