irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $68KOccupancy & Office Expenses: We operate a community center at 2582 Steinway Street in Astoria, NY. Most of this spending went to our rent, which was $4,000 per month, and the remaining was for office expenses (utilities, maintenance, and supplies to keep the space functional like trash bags, cleaning supplies, and lightbulbs.) We use the space at least 4 days per week for food, clothing, and book distributions. Whenever the space is not being used for a distribution, we offer it to community members to borrow for other mutual aid projects or to offer free or low-cost events to the public. This year the space was regularly used for an English class, a board game night, an open mic, an art supply swap, and a collective that supports transgender people. We also hosted one-time events like an art show, a staging of a play, and a fundraiser for laid-off union workers. With our space, we are also able to host team members from the Astoria Worker Project, a local effort of the Consortium for Worker Education. They sublet an office for two of their staff members and use the common space of the community center when its available to offer classes.
- #2 $10KDiapers & Wipes: Every month we buy and distribute diapers and baby wipes to the community. We distribute these first-come-first-served, and each person gets one pack of diapers and one pack of wipes. We do these distributions during our Monday food pantry, so anyone who comes for diapers can also pick up food. The funds are spent on new packages of diapers and wipes, and we also collect donations of baby needs and distribute them at that time. We try to always have formula and baby food available on that day. We also collect and distribute diapers and pads for adults, and occasionally buy those when we are understocked on donations.
named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
Borrow Our Space
Offers the community center at no or low cost for public events, mutual aid projects, English classes, art shows, and worker collectives.
Community Fridges
Manages 24/7 accessible community fridges outside the pantry and partner locations for immediate food access.
Diaper Distribution
Provides free diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food on the second Monday of each month; also stocks adult diapers and menstrual products.
Food Pantry
Distributes prepackaged grocery bags with fresh produce, bread, rice, and non-perishable items twice weekly at the Steinway Street community center and via pop-up events at NYCHA developments.
Free Store
Offers free clothing, shoes, linens, and accessories on Wednesdays; accepts seasonal clothing donations on the last Sunday of each month.
Rolling Library
Free book distribution program offering children's, YA, and multilingual books on Mondays; hosts pop-up events and a monthly Queer Book Club.
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Food Distribution and Hunger Relief 4 activities
- Accept and distribute in-kind donationsAccepts ongoing donations of food, reusable bags, menstrual pads, diapers, baby food, and other essential items during open hours for redistribution to community members.
- Operate 24/7 community fridgesManages community fridges in Astoria and other parts of New York City that are open 24/7 for public access to food and for making donations.
- Operate food pantry with grocery distributionsDistributes prepackaged bags of groceries, non-perishable food, bread, and perishable items multiple times per week at 25-82 Steinway Street in Astoria, NY, and through pop-up events at NYCHA developments. Distribution occurs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and at recurring pop-up sites including Astoria Houses and Queensbridge Houses.
- Run mobile food collection operationsUses a truck to collect donated food from various locations across New York City to support distribution efforts.
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Cultural Exchange and Community Integration Events 1 activity
- Host community events and programmingOrganizes recurring and one-time community events such as English classes, board game nights, open mics, art supply swaps, support collectives for transgender people, art shows, play stagings, fundraisers, and community-building activities in Astoria and surrounding areas.
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Diaper and Baby Supply Distribution 1 activity
- Host monthly diaper and baby supply distributionsProvides diapers, baby wipes, formula, baby food, and other baby or pregnancy supplies on the second Monday of each month at 25-82 Steinway Street, with distributions continuing until supplies are depleted. Offers Kirkland brand diapers, toddler Pull Ups, adult diapers, and panty liners when available.
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Community Event-Based Giving Programs 1 activity
- Host periodic clothing donation eventsOrganizes clothing donation events monthly on the last Sunday of each month and on June 28th, facilitating community contributions and distribution.
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Holiday and Seasonal Essentials Distribution 1 activity
- Operate free store for clothing and household itemsDistributes clothing, shoes, linens, and accessories weekly on Wednesdays at 25-82 Steinway Street, except on the first Wednesday of each month.
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Public Access to Digital and Physical Library Collections 1 activity
- Operate rolling library and book distribution programProvides books for all ages, genres, and languages through a weekly rolling library on Mondays and pop-up events across NYC, with no requirement to return books. Also hosts a free bookstore and library at the community center.
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Community Space Provision 1 activity
- Provide shared space and office sublet to community groupsOffers office sublet and shared space to the Astoria Worker Project for staff operations and classes.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$273K
Contributions & grants$212K78%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$60K
expenses
Total expenses$290K
Program expenses93%
Admin / overhead6%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$4K
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$58K
Cash$58K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$58K
Liquid reserves2.4 mo
3 years on record · 2022–2024 · YoY revenue +15.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 25
- ALEXANDER KOUTAVAS — BOARD MEMBER
- BENHAM JONES — BOARD MEMBER
- BRIANNA GREEN — BOARD MEMBER
- CAILIN POTAMI — BOARD MEMBER
- CATHERINE FIREMAN — TREASURER
- CHLOE SEIBERT — BOARD MEMBER
- CHRISTIAN NOLAND — BOARD MEMBER
- CODY UMANS — BOARD MEMBER
- DAVID PARK — BOARD MEMBER
- DEREK LUDOVICI — BOARD MEMBER
- EMMA STEWART — BOARD MEMBER
- HAZEL JOSEPH — BOARD MEMBER
- IRINA LOIZZO — BOARD MEMBER
- JENNA NG LOWRY — BOARD MEMBER
- JOE CRAIG — BOARD MEMBER
- JUDE BRANDT — SECRETARY
- KATO LASTNAME — PRESIDENT
- LEO KALLAS — BOARD MEMBER
- LIAH PATERSON — BOARD MEMBER
- MACAELA SEARS — BOARD MEMBER
- MARE HOLZMAN-TWEED — BOARD MEMBER
- MARGARET HORNING — BOARD MEMBER
- MARITZA RICO — BOARD MEMBER
- MARYAM SHARIAT — VICE TREASURER
- NATALIA IRIZARRY-COLE — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 29
Who they work with
- Astoria Houses Partner — Partners with Astoria Houses for food and resource distribution.
- Astoria Houses Partner — Site for weekly food distribution by ASTORIA FOOD PANTRY INC.
- Astoria Houses Partner — Site for weekly food distribution by Astoria Food Pantry.
- Astoria Mutual Aid Partner — Collaborates closely with Astoria Mutual Aid, having merged operations since March 2020 to support community needs.
- Astoria Worker Project Partner — Hosts staff and classes from the Astoria Worker Project at its community center.
- Buy Nothing Astoria (Ditmars-Steinway) Partner — Recommends Buy Nothing Astoria (Ditmars-Steinway) for local item exchange.
- Buy Nothing Astoria (East) Partner — Recommends Buy Nothing Astoria (East) for community-based item exchange.
- Buy Nothing Astoria (Northwest) Partner — Recommends Buy Nothing Astoria (Northwest) for community-based item exchange.
- Buy Nothing Astoria (South) & Long Island City (North) Partner — Recommends Buy Nothing Astoria (South) & Long Island City (North) for community exchange.
- Buy Nothing Long Island City (West) Partner — Recommends Buy Nothing Long Island City (West) for local item exchange.
- Buy Nothing Woodside Partner — Recommends Buy Nothing Woodside for local item exchange.
- Costco Partner — Source of Kirkland brand diapers distributed by the pantry.
- Facebook Network — Uses Facebook as a platform for communication and outreach.
- Facebook Partner — Social media platform used for communication and outreach
- Facebook Partner — Uses Facebook as a communication channel to engage with the community.
- Hour Children Partner — Directs donors to Hour Children for non-furniture item donations.
- Instagram Network — Uses Instagram as a platform for communication and outreach.
- Instagram Partner — Platform used for communication and outreach regarding book donations and partnership opportunities for free book fairs.
- Instagram Partner — Social media platform used for communication and outreach
- Instagram Partner — Uses Instagram as a communication channel to engage with the community.
- Malikah Center Partner — Hosts a community fridge at its location (25-61 Steinway) in partnership with Astoria Food Pantry.
- PreLoved Network of Astoria Partner — Recommends PreLoved Network of Astoria for reuse and redistribution of items.
- QB Community Builders Partner — Co-hosts weekly pop-up distribution events at Queensbridge Houses.
- Queensbridge Houses Partner — Partners with Queensbridge Houses for food and resource distribution.
- Queensbridge Houses Partner — Site for weekly food distribution by ASTORIA FOOD PANTRY INC.
- Queensbridge Houses Partner — Site for weekly food distribution by Astoria Food Pantry.
- Steinway Thrift Shop Partner — Directs donors to Steinway Thrift Shop for clothing and item donations.
- Stooping in Queens Partner — Recommends community exchange through Stooping in Queens for item redistribution.
- Transform America Partner — Co-hosts weekly pop-up distribution events at Queensbridge Houses.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Barrier-Free Accessmethodology: barrier_free_accessBy removing documentation and eligibility requirements and operating open-access models like 24/7 community fridges and no-questions-asked distribution, the pantry increases access for marginalized and distrustful populations, thereby reaching more people in need.
- Client-Choice Distribution Modelmethodology: client-choice_modelBy allowing clients to select their own food items during structured shopping events, the pantry increases dignity and engagement, which leads to higher utilization and reduced waste compared to prepackaged distributions.
- Integrated Resource Distributionmethodology: integrated_service_deliveryBy co-locating food, diapers, clothing, and books in single-access events and shared spaces, the organization increases service uptake and convenience, addressing multiple dimensions of poverty in a single interaction.
- Mutual Aid Integrationmethodology: mutual_aidBy embedding food and resource distribution within a broader mutual aid network, the organization addresses root causes of need through collective action and crisis response, increasing trust and community ownership of services.