 Staten Islanders always show their support to our military families which was evidenced by the sheer number of donations made to our “Stock The Pantry Drive,” which was held in partnership with the Blue Star Families.
Borough President Vito Fossella and members of the Borough Hall staff, as well as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, delivered truckloads of diapers, baby wipes, cereal, pancake mix, pasta and sauce, peanut butter, reusable grocery bags, and healthy kids’ snacks and more to Fort Wadsworth. “We think quite frankly that the fact that we are here is a shame and it’s a stain on the country that active personnel, many with young families, can’t afford to put food on the table or give their infants diapers,” Borough President Fossella said during a press conference inside the Fort Wadsworth food pantry. “Nevertheless, we’re not going to complain about it, we’re going to do something about it. This is the result. And, the message to me today is that Staten Island cares and they want to take care of their neighbors, but they especially care for the men and women who wear our nation’s uniform. We just did a great assembly line of food -- bags after bags after bags -- and fortunately, this food pantry is now packed.” Consuela Rodriguez, the program manager for the Blue Star Families, thanked the Staten Islanders who donated. “Without the Staten Island community, we wouldn’t have all of this, so we appreciate it,” she said. “As you know, 25% of our military families have food insecurity and you all do your part and we all come together as a community to do this.” The drive was held from Jan. 17 to Feb. 23 with Borough Hall serving as a drop-off center, along with Joyce's Tavern, La Fontana, and Deninos. Lifestyles for the Disabled donated a generous number of supplies. Also participating were the Metropolitan Division -- Kiwanis International, Marhkam (I.S. 51) Intermediate School, Beyar's Market and the Richmond County Yacht Club. Thank you to those who contributed -- your acts of charity will help our military families at Fort Wadsworth throughout the year. Comments are closed.
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