49th Precinct annual food drive helps fi ght hunger
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, DECEMBER 28 6 -JANIARY 3, 2019 BTR
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BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
An annual community effort
to feed the hungry during
the holidays was a resounding
success again this year.
The 49th Precinct’s Annual
Holiday Food Drive, a community
staple for 15 years, has
again delivered approximately
17,000 pounds of food to two
pantries servicing the public in
the precinct’s service area.
The 49th Precinct Community
Council has long sponsored
the drive, which grew
out of a need for food during
the holidays, at a time when
most other drives shift to collecting
toys for youngsters, he
said.
“I was asked early on at the
precinct council for food for
Christmas and the holidays.
Most food drives are done at
Thanksgiving, so that’s why
we created this drive,” said
Thompson. “The same people
who are hungry at Thanksgiving
are hungry at Christmas.”
The donations were collected
from P.S. 83, P.S. 108, P.S.
105, Van Nest Academy, Cub
Scout Pack #162, as well as cops
and civilians at the 49th Precinct
and Maestro’s Caterers,
which donated turkeys to se-
The student council and principal of P.S. 83, 49th Precinct police offi cers, and the precinct council’s president
Joe Thompson stand on Thursday, December 20 with a display of just some of what are literally tons of food
collected from the Morris Park school’s students for the 49th Precinct Annual Holiday Food Drive.
Schneps Community News Group / Patrick Rocchio
nior programs at four NYCHA
developments, said Thompson.
The cub scouts stood outside
Big Deal Supermarket in
Morris Park for several hours
on Saturday, December 15 and
collected non-perishable food,
said Thompson.
This year, food wholesaler
Osem Group donated three
large pallets of food product,
which were trucked in from
New Jersey, according to drive
organizers.
Students at P.S. 83 collected
the largest amount of food this
year, with the Osem Group donation
arranged through one of
the school’s teacher’s spouses,
said school principal Brandon
Muccino.
The company has donated
in the past, said Muccino.
Members of the P.S. 83 Student
Council helped load the
items that the school collected
into vans that police offi cers
David Lepore, Tyrone Mederos
and Juan Sanchez drove
to the Bronx Jewish Community
Council’s food pantry on
Thursday, December 20.
Additional food was also
supplied to a smaller pantry at
St. Lucy’s Church, said event
participants.
Student council leaders
president Dionne Dusaj, vicepresident
Nazifa Ali, secretary
Scarlett Harriet and treasurer
Anatoli Velikov went from
classroom to classroom imploring
their peers to donate to the
school’s drive after Thanksgiving,
said Dusaj.
Velikov and Dusaj both said
that the drive made them feel
good to witness how much goodness
there was in the world,
while Harriet said it showed
how much people care.
“I am happy to see that people
in our school want to help
people in need and want them
to be happy,” said Ali.
Muccino also said that he
personally encouraged the
students via his morning announcements
to contribute to
the cause.
“We want to teach our students
to be global citizens,” said
the principal. “I made an announcement
every day, asking
the students to remember those
in need in our community.”
Besides collecting a large
amount of food to fi ght hunger
on a grassroots level in the precinct’s
own communities, the
annual effort supports the precinct
council’s ultimate goal of
bettering police and community
relations, said Thompson.
“Police cannot accept donations
of money for anything,
not even to buy food for the
needy, and their manpower is
better used elsewhere in fi ghting
crime,” said Thompson.
“The council does the leg work
on this food drive that the police
cannot do; that’s what we
are here for.”
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