Western Queens Leaders Attend Astoria Backpack Giveaway, Serving Hundreds Of Families

ASTORIA, N.Y. –Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Assembly Member Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, and Council Member Tiffany Cabán attended a backpack giveaway this week at the Steinway Playground in Astoria for the benefit of the community.  The western Queens elected leaders joined hundreds of families receiving backpacks and school supplies. Photos of the event are available here. Event partners included MetroPlus Health and Hispanic Federation.

“We must serve the students in our community in multiple ways: whether securing record school funding and free lunch programs in this year’s state budget or connecting them with needed supplies for the school year,” said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris. “I am pleased to work with elected colleagues and community to make this happen for the benefit of the community.”

“Now that Astoria is part of my Assembly District, I’m always excited to have an opportunity to connect with some of my newest constituents. This week’s successful backpack giveaway event allowed me to do just that. I’m so grateful to teams Gianaris, Cabán, and Ocasio-Cortez for all their efforts this week to help distribute backpacks, school supplies, and other resources to families in Astoria, and to the Hispanic Federation and MetroPlusHealth for their generous backpack donations. Many of the low-income families and newly arrived asylum seekers I represent are struggling to make ends meet and these backpacks will help alleviate some of the financial pressure of preparing for the new school year,” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas.

“No child or family should have to worry about going back to school without a backpack,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “Sadly, with the sky-high cost of rent, energy, and transit pushing New Yorkers to the breaking point, all too many of our neighbors are forced into this stressful situation. I’m so proud to team up with my colleagues in the neighborhood to help alleviate this stress so that more kids can look forward to, rather than worry about, the first day of school.”