A community fridge outside State Sen. Jessica Ramos’ office was destroyed overnight Friday (Photo: Queens Post)
Jan. 2, 2021 By Christian Murray
The community fridge outside State Sen. Jessica Ramos’ office in East Elmhurst was destroyed overnight Friday—but within 12 hours her constituents donated over $20,000 to have it repaired and restocked.
Ramos took to twitter Saturday morning to express her outrage that the fridge outside her 32-37 Junction Blvd. had been vandalized.
“So many of our neighbors depend on the generosity of other neighbors to get through these difficult times,” she tweeted. “Now this lifeline is gone.”
In an interview, Ramos told the Queens Post that the destruction was “devastating.”
“Whoever did this is hurting our most vulnerable neighbors,” Ramos said, adding that many people who depend on the fridge don’t quality for federal and state assistance such as unemployment insurance or federal stimulus money.
“A lot have not seen a dime in financial aid,” she said, noting that the district was “the epicenter of the epicenter at the peak of the pandemic.”
She also said that many residents who depend on the fridge also face eviction.
The community fridge outside our district office was vandalized and destroyed last night. So many of our neighbors depend on the generosity of other neighbors to get through these difficult times. Now this lifeline is gone. I’m heartbroken. pic.twitter.com/NACU1M5hI5
— Jessica Ramos (@jessicaramos) January 2, 2021
At around 10 a.m., Ramos said in the interview: “Nobody messes with us. We will stock up. We will come back.”
She encouraged people to donate and posted a link.
By 5:30 p.m. the community had stepped up, with Ramos tweeting that nearly 500 people had donated over $20,000.
“No setback here,” she tweeted. “It’s a community comeback! We’ll replace the fridge and keep it stocked for weeks to come. THANK YOU!”
Our community fridge was destroyed last night and now 492 people have donated over $20,000 since this morning! No setback here. It’s a community comeback! We’ll replace the fridge and keep it stocked for weeks to come. THANK YOU! You can still donate here: https://t.co/eaaxsZnAHa
— Jessica Ramos (@jessicaramos) January 2, 2021
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