The cutoff was upsetting for would-be applicants like Afshana Pervin, a restaurant and catering worker from Bangladesh who lives with her two children in Queens. After getting by with loans from acquaintances and help from the food pantry at DRUM, a community organization in Jackson Heights, she was counting on applying to the fund and paying back her debts.
But she could not establish her identity to begin the application process. Her passport had expired, and replacing it would take months.
“I cannot face my co-worker and my friend and tell them I cannot pay back the money,” she said.
‘It’s time for New York City’
As for the appeal to foreign visitors, the city’s tourism agency plans to spend $6 million on the campaign, using the theme “It’s time for New York City.”
The agency, NYC & Company, hopes the campaign will come in time to salvage the end-of-year holiday season. It is already switching the message on…
