Where can the hungry go for help in East Rockaway and Lynbrook?

Every season is giving season for Our Lady of Peace. Its parish social ministry, along with the Lynbrook Community Chest, is running a food drive to help those in need in the community.

Jesus said, “Always love God, love your neighbor,” said Sister Barbara Faber, who has been with Our Lady of Peace for over 20 years and is the director of the parish social ministry. “And he was always reaching out, especially to the vulnerable, the sick, the needy. So that’s very important to us.”

This summer’s food drive is especially important. Family needs often increase when their children, who rely on school lunches, are home during the day, while the volume of donations often drops as people go on vacation or perhaps are thinking less about charity than they do during the holiday season. They can donate directly to Our Lady of Peace or at centers at Lynbrook Village Hall or the Police Department. In addition to nonperishables, the church’s food pantry also provides gift cards donated by organizations like the Community Chest, which allow people to shop for their individual needs.

The pantry has been serving the community for decades, providing support for individuals and families who don’t have the resources to put food on the table. Our Lady of Peace works with Temple Am Echad and other places of worship to provide meals — both nonperishable and homemade — to those in need. The church also offers the “Meal in a Minute” program, in which homemade meals are available for pickup. Recipients regularly express their gratitude for these services: The office is decorated with crafts made by children who have been supported by the parish social ministry over the years.

“It’s a beautiful feeling,” Faber said, “because we feel that we’re making their road a little bit easier.”

Over the years, Our Lady of Peace has had to adapt to the needs of the community and find creative new ways to persuade people to donate. The parish has started offering drive-by donations. The church staff has also found that people who are in need of food often require a little encouragement to accept help. The church now offers no-contact food pickup for those who want to maintain privacy.

“It’s very difficult for people to pick up the phone for the first time to ask for food,” Mary Bradley, the parish social ministry’s administrative assistant, said.

Though the pantry serves the entire Lynbrook community, it is currently operated by only four volunteers. There were many more, Bradley said, before the pandemic. As she sees it, the common thread among the volunteers is a commitment to kindness and giving back, and the pantry’s success is the result of community members working to take care of one another.

“What I think is beautiful is the fact that Lynbrook helps us, too,” Faber said. “It’s all of us, the whole community, that becomes involved, and tries to give kindness and caring and support to people. So that’s another part of it for me — that we have seen support and help from so many people.”

To volunteer, or to learn more about Our Lady of Peace’s services, visit OLPLynbrook.com or call (516) 599-6414.