Rotary donates to L.I. Care’s Freeport pantry

In the spirit of service and compassion, the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club recently orchestrated efforts to alleviate food insecurity on Long Island by helping to fill empty food pantries across Nassau County.

This philanthropic journey was made possible through strategic collaboration and a grant from the district Rotary.

The charitable undertaking falls within the Rotary club’s philosophy of providing service to others. Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world, with the goal to infuse all of the various arms of the organization with that same service-oriented drive.

Club secretary DeRosette Harrison spearheaded the mission by reaching out to the Long Island District Rotary for a $1,500 grant to buy food and other necessities, which were then donated to the Long Island Cares food pantry in Freeport.

Another $1,500 came out of the pockets of club members, amounting to a total of $3,000 earmarked for food and necessary household goods.

Harrison used guidelines provided by Long Island Cares to determine which food items and necessities to purchase.

“They asked for food items like pasta sauce to go with the pasta, dry cereal, juices, box juices, box milk — things that have long shelf life,” Harrison said. “They asked for diapers and wipes for babies.”

Barry McDaniel, president of Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club, also took part in the effort to feed the hungry. “What we normally try to do is locate a need… and we assist the best way we know how,” he said, alluding to the support of Rotary District 7255, which encompasses a network of clubs from Brooklyn to East Hampton.

On Jan. 24, five rotary club members, including McDaniel and Harrison, embarked on a purpose-driven shopping spree at Costco to procure the essential food items.

They began at 10 a.m., filling numerous shopping carts with an array of goods to ensure a comprehensive assortment to cater to the varied needs of families.

The club members then travelled to the Long Island Cares location on Sunrise Highway, known as the Nassau Center for Collaborative Assistance at noon to unload and disperse the goods. Club members unloaded carts brimming with provisions, symbolizing a collective resolve to combat hunger and nurture resilience within the community.

“Food insecurity is a big deal, especially on Long Island and the Freeport community,” Harrison said, adding that the Rotary is holding an ongoing food drive, with a food bin located at its Freeport location, at 294 West Merrick Road.

Rotary club member Kerry Gillick-Goldberg, owner of a PR firm who took part in the Costco shopping spree, said, “One of the things that the Rotary says is service above self, and you kind of get welcomed into this entire group of people who have the same mindset, and I love that.”

“It puts love into action,” Gillick-Goldberg continued.

Reyna Felix program associate at Long Island Cares said that the donation that amounted to 1305 pounds of food was “very important.” She said that the Nassau Center of Collaborative Assistance was in dire need of more food and essential items for residents, citing increased financial hardship since the pandemic.

“A lot of people lost their jobs, a lot of people can’t put food on the table,” she said.

“A lot of people can’t feed their kids.”

Reyna beseeched any charitable organization to get in touch with Long Island Cares or the Nassau Center, referencing the substantial amount of food required to meet residents’ needs.

Long Island Cares can be reached at 516-442-5221.

The Rotary Club’s collaboration with Long Island Cares exemplified the power of collective action in effecting meaningful change. Through communal support and solidarity, Rotary Club members reaffirmed their dedication to serving as catalysts for positive transformation, embodying the club ethos of service above self.