Relief Grants awarded to combat economic crisis’ impact on families.

At the height of the economic Crisis of 2008/2009, The Elmezzi Foundation Board decided to create a special “Crisis Relief Fund” to address the increased demands for relief services in Western Queens. The recipients of these funds included East River Development Alliance (ERDA), Jacob Riis Settlement House, and Hour Children.

As the applications began pouring in, it became clear both ERDA and Hour Children’s food pantry programs were both deserving and under unprecedented pressure. ERDA reported a shocking 40% increase in families requesting food between 2008 and 2009, after the crisis’ impact reached the average family. Hour Children similarly reported as many as 13 new families in one day coming to the pantry to humbly request assistance as they could no longer afford food for their family. Both ERDA and Hour Children have been serving the community of Long Island City for years, and have an excellent record of providing healthy food to those that need it most.

Jacob Riis Settlement House, a nonprofit that has been around since the great depression of the 1930’s, requested a relief grant so they could continue providing a full week of meals to senior citizens. According to Eboni Banks, Senior Services Director at Jacob Riis, the money came just in time: “For many of our senior participants, these meals provide their only social contact in addition to the healthy, well-prepared food so necessary for their overall health.  However, skyrocketing food costs, cuts to government funding, and increased need threatened to force us to limit the number of free or low-cost lunches we offer every day.  Thanks to the generosity of the Elmezzi Foundation, we will not be faced with the reality of denying meals to the lower-income seniors of Long Island City”.

The Elmezzi Foundation looks forward to working further with the dedicated nonprofits on Western Queens as we continue our assessment of the area through our community development initiative Project 126.