Vaccines, booster shots given in Irvington

IRVINGTON, NJ – Irvington National Action Network President Dr. October Hudley hosted a Covid-19 vaccine and food giveaway, in collaboration with the Crazy Faith Riders of New Jersey and the North Jersey Community Research Initiative on April 2.

The NJCRI collaborated with the NAN to provide medical services to residents who are most in need.
“We always try to partner with community-based organizations because we also serve the community,” Sonya Avuela, counselor for NJCRI told the Irvington Herald. “We offer vaccines, testing, we work with food pantries and shelters to provide medical services to those in need.”

Avuela discussed the partnerships that the Initiative has with various departments of health to provide the most accurate and up to date services to help residents combat Covid-19.

“We have a partnership with the New York and New Jersey Department of Health to obtain information on when people get vaccinated and what type of boosters they would need,” Avuela said.
Hudley, Irvington Councilwoman and NAN President, collaborated with the CFR to provide cans and fresh produce to residents in need.

“We know that there is a need due to the rising prices of food in our society,” Hudley said. “We collected over 300 bags of non-perishable items and fresh produce to donate to the community, in addition to offering free flu shots to the public.”
Sonya spoke to the number of people who have received a vaccine or booster shot within the first hour of the event.

“We have had over 20 people so far get vaccinated through our service today,” Avuela said. “Every number of people who get vaccinated helps to eliminate this virus.”

Mayor Tony Vauss made an appearance at the event and spoke to the public about the importance of getting vaccinated and providing food to residents most in need. Hudley spoke on the importance of the mayor showing up and the various organizations involved in making this event happen.

“We are all Irvington people, we all love Irvington,” Hudley said. “We all worked together, the Department of Public Works, the Police Department, the Crazy Faith Riders and the Mayor as well, we all played a role in making this happen.”

Hudley also spoke about how events like this are incredibly important to her, as she prides herself on giving back to the community.
“I am all about community service, I am a philanthropist so anything that I can do to help is my primary goal,” Hudley said.
Members of the CFR also spoke about building a relationship between the NAN and Dr. Hudley to form this collaborative event.

“This is our second year of working with the Action Network to work with Irvington after previously doing rides through the town and developing a relationship with Dr. Hudley,” said Chelsea Williams, social media manager for CRF.

“It is very important that politicians and community activists be involved in showing their support for the community,” said Zunilda Sanchez, public relations specialist for CRF. “It helps residents to know that they care and are looking to help them.”“We have helped with over 300 people t

oday alone,” said Wayne Johnson, former president of the CRF. “It is a team effort to come out and serve the community as a whole, we are glad to be a part of that effort.”

Sonya had a message to the residents of Irvington who are hesitant about getting vaccinated against Covid-19.
“People need to keep getting vaccinated and make sure that they are up to date with their vaccines,” Avuela stated. “We have a lot of cases of Covid, and the public is still fighting this virus, so we need people to keep up to date with their vaccines and booster shots.”

Sonya provided the name and information of the latest booster available for residents who have already been vaccinated but have yet to get a booster shot.

“Bivalent is the new booster that people should be getting,” Avuela said. “It protects against Omicron, Delta and other variants of Covid. So, for people who received their booster shot last year, they should be getting the bivalent booster immediately.”