Editor\u2019s Note: In honor of the many everyday Staten Islanders who give back, make change, inspire others, advocate and\/or care about their community, we are highlighting some of the standouts, and honoring them as Staten Island\u2019s Brightest Lights of 2025.<\/p>\n
Staten Island\u2019s Brightest Lights of 2025: Jacky and Doreen Yu<\/p>\n
As the holiday season arrives and many families feel the strain of rising food costs, Jacky and Doreen Yu of Dongan Hills have been quietly making a difference for neighbors in need through their long-standing volunteer work with City Harvest.<\/p>\n
As a team, they have served the community every holiday season for 16 years. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue because we have the time, the passion, and we love Staten Island. We wake up looking forward to seeing our community friends and knowing we have jobs to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here is their story, originally published Dec. 13, 2025:<\/p>\n
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 As the holiday season arrives and many families feel the strain of rising food costs, Jacky and Doreen Yu of Dongan Hills are quietly making a difference for neighbors in need through their long-standing volunteer work with City Harvest.<\/p>\n
The couple has volunteered with the organization for 16 years, serving twice a month at the Stapleton Mobile Market on Warren Street and Hill Street, where free fresh produce and pantry staples are distributed to local residents.<\/p>\n
The Yus first became involved through a corporate volunteer program and soon returned on their own after seeing the impact of the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started as corporate volunteers, but came back independently because we knew what City Harvest does is a very worthwhile mission,\u201d Doreen told SILive.com. \u201cOriginally, I only volunteered on Saturdays, and Jacky volunteered on both days since he worked in the afternoons.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue because we have the time, the passion, and we love Staten Island. We wake up looking forward to seeing our community friends and knowing we have jobs to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their commitment comes at a critical time. In the wake of the pandemic, rising food prices and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have increased demand for free food across the borough.<\/p>\n
City Harvest has expanded its operations in response, increasing distribution and strengthening support throughout the five boroughs, with Mobile Markets serving as a vital resource for many families.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the pandemic, the rising food prices forced people to scout for free food\u2026they pull their carts everywhere they knew there was food distributed,\u201d Doreen said. \u201cSome recipients in Stapleton come from Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe keep going because we see that the Mobile Market does really help people and we witness that most people appreciate what City Harvest does for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the growing need, the couple said the sense of connection keeps them returning month after month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always look forward to seeing familiar faces and feeling that sense of community,\u201d she said. \u201cThose connections remind us why the work matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Living on Staten Island has reinforced for them the importance of reliable volunteer support.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, volunteers come and go as people focus on school, work, family, and other responsibilities,\u201d she said. \u201cSeeing that has shown us how important steady, reliable support is for our neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n
After contributing more than 500 volunteer hours each, the Yus say the experience has shaped how they view generosity and resilience, especially during the holiday season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have learned that showing up consistently makes a real difference and that our community is resilient even during challenging times,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
They encourage other Staten Islanders looking for a meaningful way to give back to consider volunteering. \u201cRising food costs and SNAP cuts have brought bigger crowds to the Mobile Market,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCity Harvest is there to meet that need, but we always need more helping hands. We have encouraged patrons to volunteer, but we know many people are juggling work, school, and family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why support from corporate volunteers, retired neighbors, or anyone with a few hours to spare is so valuable. City Harvest makes it easy to step in and make a real difference for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s Note: In honor of the many everyday Staten Islanders who give back, make change, inspire others, advocate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[30220,36082,22993,36083,21460,36084,36085,36086,36087,21036,8639,9,24,63,8568,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-79083","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-adult","9":"tag-boy","10":"tag-coat","11":"tag-doreen-yu","12":"tag-glasses","13":"tag-glove","14":"tag-hat","15":"tag-jacket","16":"tag-jacky-yu","17":"tag-male","18":"tag-man","19":"tag-new-york","20":"tag-new-york-city","21":"tag-nyc","22":"tag-person","23":"tag-staten-island","24":"tag-staten-island-headlines","25":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}