Senator Fred Akshar with his 2020 Woman of Distinction choice Hospital Heroes Organizer Vanessa Moschak and her family. (Submitted Photo)

BINGHAMTON – This week Senator Fred Akshar recognized Hospital Heroes organizer Vanessa Moschak as his NYS Senate 2020 Woman of Distinction for the 52nd Senate District.

Each year, the New York State Senate honors women who have enriched the quality of life in their communities across New York.

An Assistant Principal at Broome-Tioga BOCES, Vanessa Moschak is the founder of the Binghamton Hospital Heroes Meals volunteer group, a meal delivery coordination effort that began in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital Heroes is comprised of 51 volunteers from Broome-Tioga BOCES and more than 65 local businesses that strives to show solidarity and support for essential workers at the UHS and Lourdes Hospital systems in the Southern Tier.

Hospital Heroes provided meals for Lourdes and UHS hospital sites for 12 weeks, providing 11,300 meals and receiving $10,019 in grants and donations, including winning a Southern Tier Tuesdays Grant as voted by the community.

The community has embraced this cause wholeheartedly. What began as a modest act of kindness during an unprecedented health crisis has united an amazing alliance of volunteers and local businesses to actively show support for essential workers and prove that our community is truly stronger when we work together.