SCS News

Thanks to a grant from FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds, donations to SCS will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to a combined total of $10,000. The matching grant coincides with the National Day of Giving and will support all of SCS’s many programs and services. Read more at:https://twitter.com/queenspost/status/1465352738498396168

PIX 11 joined us on Thanksgiving Day as we delivered hot meals to seniors in Queens. Staff, volunteers, and Board Members delivered more than 175  meals to local seniors, including Gertrude, a Sunnyside resident who is 102 years old.  Watch the video online https://twitter.com/monicamoralestv/status/1464082509038243843

SCS is one of 28 community-based organizations to receive funding for a Queens-based initiative to help prevent crime and keep young people out of the prison system. The funding will be provided by the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz for the implementation of the Community Youth Development and Crime Prevention Project. Read more online at: https://qns.com/2021/11/queens-da-launches-youth-crime-prevention-initiative-with-grants-to-28-organizations-across-borough/

SCS is one of 28 organizations that received grant funding from the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. The funds will implement her office’s Community Youth Development and Crime Prevention Project that aims to provide youth activities and other services to help prevent crime and keep young people out of the criminal justice system. Read more in this Sunnyside Post article: https://twitter.com/queenspost/status/1461025550991044616

Join us on Saturday, November 13 at 2 pm as we host a free community concert. The concert, presented by New Music Horizons, features classical composer David Shenton and jazz composer Mark Wade. David Shenton will start the concert with a selection of his inventive piano compositions, followed by the Mark Wade Trio, who will perform music from their upcoming album release True Stories. 

To attend in-person, register online at scsconcert.eventbrite.com. There is a limited capacity, so be sure to register early. Face masks are required. 

We will also be broadcasting the concert virtually at Facebook.com/SunnysideCommunityServices.

Mark Wade was voted one of the top bassists for four of the last five years by the prestigious DownBeat magazine Reader’s Poll. His 2015 debut album Event Horizon, and 2018 follow up Moving Day, were released to international acclaim. From May 2013 to May 2014, Wade served as an Artist In Residence at Flushing Town Hall where his ensemble, the Mark Wade Trio, was presented in concert on a number of occasions. In 2012, Wade performed with jazz great Jimmy Heath as part of his “Four Black Immortals” East Coast tour. He has played with other notable jazz artists such as James Spaulding, Eddie Palmieri, Conrad Herwig, Harry Whitaker, Pete McGuinness, Peter Eldridge, Don Byron, and he appeared on the Today show with Stacey Kent. He also performs regularly with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra led by trumpeter Bill Warfield. Wade has performed in several notable New York City venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, The Iridium, and from 1997 to 1999 he appeared weekly at Birdland. Wade is a faculty member of the jazz program at Lehigh University. He is also a New York Pops Teaching Artist. He is based in New York City. For more information, visit newmusichorizons.org/mark-wade.

David Shenton is an English pianist, violinist, composer, and arranger. As pianist/music director, Shenton has worked with renowned members of the music profession in all genres, including Vanessa Williams, Tony Bennett, Norm Lewis, Zach Levi, Sierra Boggess, Denyce Graves, Alfie Bøe, Renée Fleming, Sherrill Milnes, Marilyn Maye, Liz Callaway, Sir André Previn, Michael Feinstein, Amanda McBroom, Katie Couric, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. He has performed and conducted at prestigious venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, The Rose Theater, and Lincoln Center, among others. Shenton is a member of the popular musical group The Empire Trio, and has worked on Hollywood movies, as well as West End and Broadway shows. He is based in New York City. For more information, visit  newmusichorizons.org/david-shenton.

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Queens Council on the Arts.

Local news site Sunnyside Post features the reopening of our Social Adult Day Program, which offers specialized support and therapeutic activities for older adults with cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Read the full article online.

QNS reporter Julia Moro talked to Shyvonne Noboa, division director for senior services at SCS, about how we adapted our programs for seniors during the Covid-19 pandemic. QNS also interviewed Nora Moran, director of policy and advocacy for United Neighborhood Houses, an organization that supports 45 settlement houses, including SCS.

Read the full story online at: https://qns.com/2021/10/sunnyside-settlement-house-transformed-how-it-aided-hundreds-of-residents-during-the-pandemic/ 

On October 6, State Senator Jabari Brisport, representing New York’s 25th State Senate District and Chair of Committee on Children and Families, visited the Sunnyside UP pre-K program at Sunnyside Community Services in Queens. The visit was part of his nine-week, state-wide child care listening tour, where he will hear from child care providers and parents about the challenges they are facing. 

Senator Brisport was joined by State Senator Michael Gianaris of New York’s 12th State Senate District; Phillip Barsamian, who was representing Assembly Member Catherine Nolan of Assembly District 37; Andrew Hevesi of Assembly District 28; and Zakiyah Ansari, Advocacy Director for the Alliance for Quality Education. 

As the pandemic raged throughout Queens, many residents who lost jobs and income struggled to provide enough food for their families. Sunnyside Community Services (SCS), a local community organization based in Sunnyside, began weekly food distribution to help meet the need. From April 2020 to September 1, 2021, Sunnyside Community Services distributed a combined total of close to 20,000 packages of food in two locations: their main location in Sunnyside, Queens and at Woodside Houses in Woodside, Queens.

“The strain of this pandemic on the communities we serve cannot be overstated,” said Judy Zangwill, Executive Director of SCS. “People lost their jobs and income, and some also lost friends and loved ones. I’m proud that Sunnyside Community Services was able to help by providing food to so many.”

The temporary food pantry provided by SCS distributed approximately 20,000 packages of groceries or prepared meals, with approximately 12,000 packages of food distributed in Sunnyside, and 7,200 packages of food in Woodside, from April 2020 through September 1, 2021.

The food distribution was supported by a number of organizations, including Butter Beans, Campaign Against Hunger, Citibank, CityMeals on Wheels, Jean and Louis Dreyfus Foundation, Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), Food Bank for New York City, Foodcellar Market, Fresh Direct, FWPA, GetFoodNYC Emergency Home Food Delivery, Growing Soul / USDA Food Program, Immigrant Services, LIC Relief, Mosaic Community Center, New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), New York Community Trust, New York Immigration Coalition, Operation Food USA, PepsiCo, Queens Borough President’s Office, Queens Together, Robin Hood Foundation, Stop and Shop, Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, Sunnyside Shines, Sunnyside Woodside Mutual Aid, Sunshine Foundation, United Neighborhood Houses, and World Central Kitchen.

In addition, hundreds of individuals throughout the United States contributed to the food pantry with monetary donations, purchases through the organization’s Amazon Wish List, or by dropping off food items in person at the food pantry.

“One of the few bright spots throughout this pandemic has been the generosity of New Yorkers,” said Zangwill. “Businesses, organizations, government agencies, and individuals throughout the City pulled together to help the community. The kindness of our wonderful supporters helped thousands of families through some very hard times. We are grateful to each and every donor who contributed.”

The weekly food distribution offered by SCS continued through September 8. Starting in October, food will be distributed monthly through December for those who register. For more information, email info@scsny.org.

Approximately 100 people were vaccinated at the mobile vaccine center at SCS. The mobile unit was parked at our location at 41-31 39th Street in Sunnyside from 8 am – 6 pm, August 18 – 20. Vaccinations are free for all New Yorkers over the age of 12 and many sites no longer require appointments. To find a mobile vaccine site near you and see the upcoming schedule of mboile sites, visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/vaccines/covid-19-vaccines.page#walk-up-sites