Damayan Rolled Out Phase 2 of Sagip-Tulong sa Pilipino (STP) Care Packages in Woodside and Elmhurst on August 22, 2020

Care package recipient at Elmhurst Baptist Church

The pandemic is not over just because we are over it. Each day, the working class Filipino migrant and immigrant community in New York and New Jersey struggle to fulfill their basic needs. Daily decisions have become catch 22s, deciding between rent, food, school fees, health, childcare, and  remittances. In order to afford one another is forgone. For survival, many have accrued late rental fees in order to provide for themselves and their families.

With this in mind, Damayan Migrant Workers Association (Damayan) continued its roll out of the second phase of delivery of Sagip-Tulong sa Pilipino (STP) Care Packages to Filipino migrant and immigrant workers, starting in Little Manila in Woodside, Queens, NYC, and nearby areas.

Over the last two weekends, 157 Damayan and community members with a total of at least 305 household members received Filipino groceries and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which consisted of face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and a thermometer. On 7/26 we distributed 89 care packages benefiting at least 173 people. On 8/9 we collaborated with Elmhurst Baptist Church to host an open air event over five hours to distribute 68 care packages serving at least 128 people.

All of the recipients lived in Woodside, Jamaica, Maspeth, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Woodhaven, Bayside, and Astoria. Many will also receive the Care Fund, the financial assistance for domestic workers by the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA).

“We exhausted our savings to pay for food, groceries and our children’s needs” said, Libson, a caregiver and the sole breadwinner for a family of four. His work hours were severely reduced due the pandemic at a time where his wife gave birth to a new child. “This is very helpful for us. Hopefully it will help more families, too."

STP Care Packages provide critical food assistance to Damayan members and community members that are hardest hit by Covid-19 in New York and New Jersey -- elders, the immunocompromised, those who are infected with Covid-19, those who were fired, laid off or had their hours reduced, domestic and labor trafficking survivors, families with children, and live-in caregivers who are not allowed to leave their employer’s home, among others.

August 22, 2020