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Ocasio-Cortez and Gonzalez visit Astoria senior center to donate turkeys for Thanksgiving

From left to right: [identifying], Sofia Pajaj, Program Director of HANAC Harmony JVL Older Adult Center, NY State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Andrea Jerves, Director of Programming and Development at HANAC, and House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NY-14

From left to right: Sofia Pajaj, Program Director of HANAC Harmony JVL Older Adult Center, NY State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Andrea Jerves, Director of Programming and Development at HANAC, and House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NY-14

Nov. 25, 2024 By Shane O’Brien

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez visited a senior center in Astoria Friday to donate 50 turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving.

Ocasio-Cortez and Gonzalez visited the HANAC Harmony JVL Older Adult Center at 27-40 Hoyt Ave. S on Friday afternoon to meet with seniors at the center and donate 60 turkeys for the center’s annual Thanksgiving lunch.

HANAC participants receive Thanksgiving turkeys, posing with Sofia Pajaj, Program Director of HANAC Harmony JVL Older Adult Center (far left), and NY State Senator Kristen Gonzalez (second from right)y

Each year, HANAC hosts a Thanksgiving lunch for older adults who attend the center, bringing together members of the community to dine and celebrate on the national holiday.

Ocasio-Cortez and Gonzalez received a tour of the center during Friday’s visit as well as meeting with staff members and older adults who frequent the center.

Andrea Jerves, Director of Programs and Development at HANAC, said the center and its annual Thanksgiving celebration represent an important part of HANAC’s mission to enable older adults to age with dignity among friends, peers, and the local communities they helped build.

We are thankful to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Gonzalez for their donation and for the opportunity showcase the wonderful work happening here at HANAC,” Jerves said in a statement. “We are dedicated to providing a home, or a home-away-from-home, for local older adults as they celebrate the holidays.”

The center has operated in the Astoria community for the past 35 years, providing congregate lunch service and programming for older members of the community. In 2014, the NYC Department For the Aging (DFTA) designated this senior center as an Innovative Senior Center.