Congressional candidate and Indian store donate food to Queens Hospital, food pantry

April 22, 2020

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Suraj Patel, candidate for the U.S. Congress from New York’s District 12, right, helping deliver food for hospital workers and vulnerable populations in Queens along with House of Spices team, April 21, 2020. (Photo: courtesy Suraj Patel campaign)

Suraj Patel, candidate for Congress in Manhattan, North Brooklyn, and Western Queens, announced a partnership with Amrapali Soni, co-president of House of Spices, to provide $10,000 worth of food to healthcare workers and most vulnerable communities.

On April 21, Patel and the House of Spices team delivered thousands of dollars worth of food donations to Elmhurst Hospital and Center of Hope International – Bread of Life Food Pantry in Long Island City.

“It breaks my heart that Queens has been hurt so badly by coronavirus, because these communities are our caretakers. It’s the folks that work in hospitality, in healthcare, in our restaurants and in our taxicabs,” Patel is quoted saying in the press release. “It’s big, loving families getting punished for living so closely together; immigrant families like my own that once slept 13 to a one-bedroom apartment. Queens is all about grit, Queens will rebuild, and I want folks to know that we never left their side during any of this,” Patel added.

Elmhurst Hospital has been among the hardest hit in the nation and serves much of the city’s South Asian population, according to the Patel campaign.

House of Spices, located in Flushing, aims to spread Indian food culture through quality products, family recipes, and other outreach.

Suraj Patel, candidate for the U.S. Congress from New York’s District 12, along with House of Spices store, delivered thousands of dollars worth of food to hospital workers and vulnerable populations in Queens April 21, 2020. (Photo: courtesy Suraj Patel campaign)

Patel, who is challenging long-time incumbent Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, hopes to get the support of the large Indian American community New York’s District 12, to defeat her.

During the spread of coronavirus, Patel and his campaign have been delivering hundreds of meals to Seniors and raising money for Citymeals on Wheels, making more than 80,000 wellness check-in calls to neighbors, delivering food, water, and toilet paper at a moment’s notice to those in need, creating greeting cards for seniors, and advocating for urgent, immediate relief for Tipped Workers, Hospitality Workers, Small Businesses, Renters, Artists, and our Healthcare Heroes,” the press release said.

Patel himself fell victim to the coronavirus recently and after his recovery has been donating his blood plasma to Mount Sinai Hospital. He has also released a plan for “Coordinated National COVID-19 Testing.”