Chicken parm with a side of Christmas cheer

For more than 20 years, Frank Borrelli Jr., hasn’t spent Christmas mornings and afternoons opening gifts or relaxing with relatives. Instead, he could be found hard at work at his restaurant, cooking food for up to 180 community members in need on the holiday. And oftentimes, Borrelli’s staff members and East Meadow Kiwanis Club volunteers have spotted him tearing up while watching children open Christmas presents the groups donated to them — delivered by Santa Claus, of course.

“The looks on their faces are so special,” he said. “It’s all about giving back — I just want to give back to the community. We’re blessed, and we just want to pass it on.”

More than 170 community members living under trying circumstances this holiday season will be treated to a buffet-style lunch and an afternoon of festive activities on Christmas at Borrelli’s Italian Restaurant, at 1580 Hempstead Turnpike. The charitable program has evolved from a Borrelli family tradition to an East Meadow one, as the Kiwanis Club and community leaders have pitched in to make the holiday a happy one for everyone.

The idea for the luncheon originated with Frank Borrelli Sr., who opened the restaurant in 1955 with his brothers, Al and Phil. After decades of success in East Meadow, the restaurateur wanted to do something to thank the community for its support, and created the event with the help of the late Sal Napolitano, a longtime Kiwanian.

Borrelli explained that Napolitano and his father would pick up elderly people at nearby senior centers and assisted living facilities who did not have family to spend Christmas with. Alan Beinhacker, a past president of the Kiwanis Club, noted that members of the organization began to volunteer at the event.

A few years before his father’s death in 2006, Borrelli began to build on his legacy and not only continue, but also expand the program. He teamed up with Beinhacker and two other Kiwanians — Elizabeth Fries and Ellen DeRosa — who all still help coordinate the event to this day.