Woodhaven Man in CNN Hero Contest
This is a wonderful story. Jorge Munoz, of Woodhaven, has been named as one of the top 10 heroes by CNN for his wonderful work feeding the hungry. He was born in Columbia, but came to the United States, became a citizen, and lives right here in Woodhaven. He drives a school bus all day long and at night -- his second job begins.
Alert! Please vote for Jorge by clicking here!
Those on the streets call him the Angel of Queens and you can visit his website here. Starting with collecting leftovers from local businesses, Jorge Munoz and his mother were soon making 20 dinners-to-go each day. Over time, that number grew and today the Munoz family feeds close to 150 people every day. From the article on CNN:
Every day, unemployed men gather under the elevated 7 train in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry.
Jorge Munoz estimates he has served more than 70,000 free meals since 2004. At around 9:30 each night, relief comes in the form of Jorge Munoz's white pickup truck, filled with hot food, coffee and hot chocolate. The men eagerly accept containers of chicken and rice from Munoz, devouring the food on the spot. Quiet gratitude radiates from the crowd.
For many, this is their only hot meal of the day; for some, it's the first food they've eaten since last night.
"I thank God for touching that man's heart," says Eduardo, one of the regulars.
To his mother's dismay, his family's Woodhaven home is bursting with goods related to this work. An oversize freezer takes up most of the dining room, and the porch is lined with canned food and paper products.
Daily operations now run like a well-oiled machine. Munoz gets up around 5:00 a.m. to drive his bus route, and he calls home on his breaks to see how the cooking is going. When he gets home around 5:30 p.m. -- often stopping to pick up food donations -- he helps pack up meals before heading out to "his corner" in Jackson Heights.
"He comes here without fail," says one of the men. "It could be cold, it could be really hot, but he's here."
This is a terrific story, an inspirational one -- a story that we should all be proud of. Here's a nice video, with an interview with Mr. Munoz:
And here is a wonderful, emotional follow-up to the story above --
As a finalist. Mr. Munoz will receive 25K. If he wins, he'll receive 100K!
"If I won it would be great because I'd have a budget to help people for at least two years," he said."It's a mission that I am on. God helps me on this mission."
Muñoz says he will use his $25,000 winnings to pay his credit card bills and help pay off the Toyota Tacoma truck he uses to deliver food.
And if he wins Hero of the Year?
So take a few seconds and VOTE.
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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