Queens Together, a non-profit dedicated to fighting food insecurity in the borough, has launched a new Neighbor to Neighbor program aiming to provide aid to specific families during times of crisis.
The non-profit, which was founded by Jonathan Forgash during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide culturally appropriate meals from local restaurants to those facing food insecurity, has already assisted two families who were devastated by fires through its Neighbor to Neighbor program.
Queens Together helped families in Woodside and Ravenswood Houses after fires devastated their apartments in August, stocking their fridges with enough groceries to last around two weeks.
Forgash described Queens Together as a small grassroots organization, adding that the Neighbor to Neighbor program aims to bring a “personal touch” to the fight against food insecurity.
“One of the things that we feel is missing from feeding hundreds is the personal touch,” Forgash said. “Of course, the food pantries are important, it’s what we do. But the neighbor-to-neighbor program is really about supporting a family or person who has been devastated- people who lose their homes to fire or job loss or some devastating event.
“It’s really nice to be able to just lend a helping hand. It’s not forever, but it’s a gesture. It’s some compassion.”
Forgash added that the initiative aims to give struggling families “one less thing to worry about” during a crisis by taking care of their food needs.
He added that the Neighbor to Neighbor program is still in its early stages, noting that Queens Together initially hadn’t planned to launch as early as August. However, an urgent call from U.S. Rep. Grace Meng about a family devastated by an apartment fire in Woodside prompted them to take action sooner than expected.
“Thank you to Queens Together for the assistance it provided to my constituents who were devastated by a fire that tore through their home in Woodside,” said Congresswoman Meng. “When I connected this impacted family with Queens Together, Jonathan and his team immediately sought to aid them, and the food and restaurant vouchers they arranged to provide were an enormous help as the family worked to recover from the blaze.”
Around the same time, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez alerted the organization to another family in Ravenswood Houses whose apartment had also been devastated by a fire.
Forgash encouraged Queens residents and elected officials to reach out to Queens Together if they see a neighbor enduring a crisis.
“If someone reads about this (Neighbor to Neighbor) and they know of somebody (in need), please reach out. It is very easy to reach out to Queens Together,” Forgash said. “We will do our best to help out.”
Queens Together, a restaurant-driven non-profit, has been providing meals to Queens residents facing food insecurity since 2020, paying local restaurants to provide meals for local food banks.
Forgash said the non-profit has never asked restaurants to make any donations and always strives to pay participating restaurants their fair share. Forgash, who worked as a chef for 25 years, said Queens Together also helps to promote restaurants by raising their profile among their local communities.
“We want the world and our neighbors to know that they (restaurants) are community leaders who are helping.”
He said the organization benefits hugely from public-private partnership, crediting elected officials such as Meng and Velázquez for their support and praising corporate sponsors such as Hydro Quebec and Metropolitan Park for providing the capital that enables Queens Together to carry out its work. He also praised members of the local community who have supported the non-profit over the past four years.
“I think this is a great demonstration of how pieces of the community come together to do big things.”
Queens Together will continue to promote local Queens restaurants when it hosts its third annual International Food Expo in the New York Hall of Science on Thursday, Dec. 5. The event will feature almost 40 Queens-based restaurants, with all proceeds going toward Queens Together’s food relief programs for the holiday season.
