Forest Hills Pantry To Distribute Hygienic Basics After Donation

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Commonpoint Queens has successfully handed out millions of pounds of food to Queens residents since the start of the pandemic, but the group hasn’t been able to get local families much-needed hygienic basics.

“Items such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, sponges, [and] cleanser cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits,” Commonpoint Queens CEO Danielle Ellman said in a news statement. “Because of this many families cannot afford to purchase the most basic of necessities,” she added.

Commonpoint partners with other organizations — like the Met Council, UJA Federation of New York, and the city — in order to get free food to distribute to communities in Queens, Ellman explained, but up until recently the group didn’t have a source for hygiene product donations — that is until the community at the Towers at Water's Edge, a luxury development in Bayside, got involved.

Bruce Misher, a Commonpoint Queens volunteer and Water's Edge resident, spearheaded the hygiene product collection effort, which he said immediately received support from the building’s management and residents.

“The outpouring of support was incredible with hundreds of items donated,” he said. “It’s nice to live in a place where the people care about their community and give back.

Now, Commonpoint Queens’ Forest Hills Food Pantry, which is one of the four pantries the group manages in Queens, is able to distribute hygiene and cleaning supplies to local families.

Commonpoint sees the distribution as part of its ongoing efforts to not only combat food insecurity — a crisis that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic, reports show — but also create barrier-free, dignified spaces for community members.

Clients can order groceries, and now hygiene products, using Commonpoint’s digital system. This means families don’t need to take time off work in order to get the items they need, according to the group.

The Forest Hills food pantry is located at 108-13 67 Road. It is open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Mondays and Wednesdays there are additional hours from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

New clients must provide a date of birth and driver’s license or non-driver ID number in order to access the pantry. Become a client by signing up here, or contacting Jhadran Rojas at (718) 268-5011 ext. 433 or by email at jrojas@commonpointqueens.org.