A “Midnight Run” to help the homeless

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Last week, 36 volunteers met at Our Lady of Lourdes in Malverne and caravanned into New York City where they distributed food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless and poor on the streets.

Known as a Midnight Run, the New York-based volunteer organization holds over 1000 missions each year through various schools, synagogues, churches and civic groups. Midnight Run is “dedicated to finding common ground between the housed and the homeless,” according to the website.

One of the two runs Our Lady of Lourdes holds each year, the group collected food, clothing money and other items from parishioners and donors. Volunteers were comprised of members of Our Lady of Lourdes youth ministry and parish families.

Preparations began the night of August 17, where volunteers made sandwiches, sorted through the donated items, and organized the items into individual packages. The following night, the group drove seven minivans and SUV’s into the city where they made four stops: 40th and 5th, 47th between Madison and 5th, 43rd and 2nd, and 54th between Lexington and 3rd.

Lourdes volunteers served about 125 homeless, and then returned to Malverne at about 2:30 a.m.

The following morning, the volunteers took last evening's leftovers and had a “morning run,” where they distributed sandwiches, fruit and water to about 30 day-laborers in the Home Depot parking lot in Hempstead.

Donations were also provided by: Dr. Dominique Lizzio, formerly of Smiles on Broadway, Oceanside Trader Joes, Best Western of Rockville Centre, Birch School in Merrick, QT Printing, Women for Women and Malverne Village Hall.