The Queens Night Market on Saturday, Sept. 24, will double as a fundraiser to provide relief for those impacted by Hurricane Fiona, especially in Puerto Rico.
The venue is pledging 33% of its own net proceeds from Saturday’s event to support relief efforts on the ground. Nearly 30 vendors are participating in the fundraiser by donating a fixed amount or pledging a percentage of their profits from the evening’s sales. The event will also ask visitors to make voluntary suggested donations of $5 at the entrance gate on Saturday to support the effort.
“Political fallouts and geopolitical calamities seem to dominate news cycles in these divisive times, but I hope supporting victims of natural disasters is something we can all get behind,” said John Wang, founder of Queens Night Market. “I can’t imagine what the families in Puerto Rico must be going through right now, and during Hispanic Heritage Month no less.”
This isn’t the first time the Queens Night Market is raising and donating funds for disaster relief. The venue has supported relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, the devastating earthquake in Mexico City, and Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.
Last year, the Queens Night Market raised and donated $16K to provide support for victims who were impacted by Hurricane Ida flooding in the borough.
Earlier this year, the Queens Night Market donated over $12k from its sneak preview ticket sales to Queens Rising, and it also raised and donated over $13k to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in honor of World Refugee Day.
This Saturday’s fundraising efforts are being supported by Senator Jessica Ramos, Assembly Members Catalina Cruz and Jessica González-Rojas, City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.
“You can count on Queens to extend care to our neighbors, both near and far. Thank you, Queens Night Market, for using a beloved fixture of our community and a testament to our borough’s talents and creativity in service of those impacted by Hurricane Fiona,” Ramos said.
González-Rojas said she is “deeply grateful” to Queens Night Market for organizing the fundraiser to support the victims of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico.
“Whether it is in Puerto Rico or here in Queens, our communities are always prepared to step up and help one another during moments of crisis,” González-Rojas said. “As a Boricua myself, this is deeply personal and heartbreaking. But we are organizing and help is on the way and we are doing this as neighbors who understand that we are all inextricably linked. Si se puede.”
As a Boricua, a Queens kid and a member of the city council, Cabán expressed that she could not be more grateful and excited that Queens Night Market will be raising funds for their loved ones in Puerto Rico.
“The trauma and misery our loved ones on the island continually endure is enough to break my heart, and this level of solidarity, love and support from one of the most beloved institutions in my home borough is helping to mend it,” Cabán said. “Thank you, Queens Night Market, and a deeply felt ¡PA’LANTE! to those on the ground in Puerto Rico doing the hard work of alleviating suffering.”
Richards reflected on Hurricane Maria’s “unimaginable suffering” on the people of Puerto Rico five years ago this week.
“With the consequences of Hurricane Fiona’s flooding rain and destructive winds threatening to take the island back to the uncertain days of 2017, I’m proud that Queens is stepping up to support our sixth borough to the south,” Richards said. “ I thank the Queens Night Market for stepping up to show with action that our borough will be here for Puerto Rico, as well as the Dominican Republic, as they put their unshakable resilience on display in the face of Mother Nature’s fury.”
