Peekskill Community Steps Up to Help Essential Workers
With coronavirus cases on the rise as the holidays approach, members of the Peekskill community are coming together to raise money that will provide hot meals for first responders and other essential workers.
Peekskill business owner Chappy Manzer, who has spearheaded efforts since March to support residents, businesses and first responders, launched a GoFundMe page to pay for meals that will be given to workers at NewYork Presbyterian/Hudson Valley Hospital. Meals will also be donated to fire departments, nursing homes, police departments, EMS, and Department of Public Works located in Peekskill and Cortlandt.
“Being that it’s the holiday time, I wanted to start the GoFundMe again because I think we’re going to see some challenging times over the next two or three months,” Manzer said. “As a business owner, it’s important to give back all the time but especially during these times when people are losing their jobs and business owners are worried about whether they’re going to remain open.”
The fundraiser began on November 28 in coordination with other local business owners, Luis Segarra, Rohan Defreitas and Jason Chiaramonte. The campaign has a goal of $20,000, and as of Sunday, $1,965 has been donated.
Manzer, who owns Manzer’s Landscape Design, explained funds raised will be spread out among restaurants in both municipalities to make the meals that would feed up to 3,800 first responders if the fundraising goal is met. He said the money raised could help restaurant owners pay a bill or prevent a few workers from being laid off.
“The whole reason I started this in March was because restaurants were laying people off,” Manzer said. “If I could feed people and keep restaurants going, then that was the need in the community.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Manzer has been a presence in Peekskill, ensuring residents are fed and first responders are supported. Back in March, he started a GoFundMe that raised about $18,000 to feed residents, and between April and June, another $25,000 was collected to supply food to essential workers.
With Peekskill students studying remotely due to the shutdown earlier this year, Manzer launched a third GoFundMe to provide students with Chromebook’s and WiFi hotspots. That campaign raised about $14,000, he said.
Additionally, Feeding Westchester partnered with the Peekskill Rotary Club, which Manzer is a member, to hand out groceries every Tuesday to residents for about 15 weeks. A $50,000 grant from Westchester County also allowed community members to pass out restaurant vouchers to residents who were food insecure.
The vouchers were gone within five weeks, he said.
Manzer said that while his efforts are not done alone, he appreciates that mass community support he receives with every fundraiser. He said that if he or his business were struggling, others in the community would come forth to help him and others in need.
“We haven’t really stopped, and it makes me sad to see that it’s like this but I’m fortunate enough to know people who are always willing to help,” Manzer said. “As a kid and a teenager, there was quite a few people who watched out for me, and I’ve always felt that it’s important to give back to the community you come from.”
For more information or to donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/27ilomv8c0.
