Hope Day brings churches together and helps provide for community members

The sound of laughing children running filled the field next to Bowling Green Elementary School last Saturday as guests listened to music, shopped, shared some food, or simply enjoyed spending time together as families. What made it all even better was that it was all free.

That’s what Hope Day is all about — bringing communities together and providing them with whatever they need.

Hope Day was created in 2012, after a Valley Stream pastor named Steven Milazzo, of Bethlehem Assembly of God, joined the nonprofit humanitarian and disaster-relief organization Convoy of Hope for an event that provided food to Nassau County’s needy. The idea has since spread across the county and the entire tristate area, and this year there were some 35 celebrations.

Hope Day at Bowling Green was started in 2015 by New Hope Church in Westbury. Over the years, other churches have joined in, and now the event is a collaboration among New Hope, Iglesias Genesis in Westbury, Edge City Church in Mineola, and Shelter Rock Church in Old Westbury.

“It’s wonderful values as a church,” Corey Johnson, campus pastor at Shelter Rock, said. “One of the things that we want to do is to form Kingdom partnerships with other churches in the community, and also other organizations in the community that (are) doing work like this to meet people’s needs.”

Across the field at Bowling Green were a number of tents, each with something different to offer. One had new clothes for anyone who needed them, and another was stocked with new shoes. The shoes were so popular that the supply ran out about an hour into the event.

In preparation, volunteers from New Hope had purchased as many new pairs of shoes as they could, at the most affordable prices, with money that had been donated. There were a total of about 350 pairs of shoes.

There was an area where people could pick up bags of groceries donated by Convoy of Hope, and East Meadow Kiwanis sponsored a free pizza lunch. Other treats included popcorn and snow cones, which could be enjoyed while listening to a live band made up of New Hope parishioners.

“I like that we’re able to serve people who really, really just don’t have,” Christabelle Jeanty, a volunteer from New Hope, said. “There was a man that I met today and his shoes were broken and ripped, and we were able to get him a brand new pair of shoes with no holes, and no feet showing — that’s what we really want.”

A large section of the field was dedicated to kids. Inflated slides, games and more were there for parents to let their children enjoy for free.

A photo backdrop was set up so visitors could pose for family portraits. Health care professionals were on site to answer questions, and a community services station offered help to those who are homeless, help with health care, and mentoring programs.

“This is our way of giving back to the community, and it’s our way of showing that we love our community,” Mike Muntzenberger, a New Hope volunteer, said. “It’s fun to see everybody having fun and having their needs met.”

Next year, the churches hope to bring dermatologists, cardiologists and other doctors to check for skin cancer and other conditions, New Hope’s pastor, the Rev. Dan Olson, said.

Volunteers from the churches were there ready to help anyone who needed it, and Olson said that’s one of his favorite parts of the event.

“I love to see all of my volunteers just relating with our guests as they’re working hard and serving, and it’s all with a smile,” he said. “I like to see people coming back, and I get to recognize their faces and connect with them.”