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Mostly Cloudy Doing the Lord’s work on his time
As Santa was presumably returning to the North Pole in the early-morning hours of Dec. 26, Richard Romani, 42, was already awake, and getting ready for the day ahead.
He was careful not to wake his wife, Gina, or their three children. Just as he had done each Saturday for the previous three months, Romani, the Herald’s 2015 Person of the Year, left his home, on Evans Avenue in Elmont, at 6:30 a.m. and headed to the Pope Francis Hospitality Center, on De Paul Street, to begin cooking for the community.
A corporate executive chef by day and a volunteer firefighter by night, Romani knows firsthand the importance of food and shelter for those who are less fortunate in Elmont. Many of the people who fill the cafeteria of the St. Vincent de Paul parish’s former catholic elementary school are in need of much more than a meal or a roof over their heads. They’re in need in human interaction and community involvement.
“Some of them are in need because they’re homeless; some of them are in need because they’re low-income,” Romani said. “Some of them just want someone to talk to and a smiling face and a home-cooked meal, which is something that they haven’t had.”
Romani got involved with the Saturday community meals at the Pope Francis Hospitality Center after he spoke with Monsignor Rick Figliozzi of St. Catherine of Siena, in Franklin Square. Romani had joined the Knights of Columbus in May and was searching for a way to lend a hand in Elmont, and the Knights have a long history of helping those in need. They were involved in the post-earthquake recovery effort in Haiti in 2010, supplying prosthetics for those who were seriously injured.
There is a great need for food in the Elmont community, and Romani saw it as an opportunity to share his experience in the kitchen. Figliozzi suggested that he contact Mary Joesten, founder of Faith Mission, the charity that runs the hospitality center.
“He’s very committed,” Joesten said of Romani. “He’s committed to Christ. He’s committed to the people of God. He’s caring, he’s compassionate, and he’s willing to help.”
Romani has helped in many different ways, first and foremost in the kitchen. In addition to his culinary endeavors, however, he has also rounded up donations to the center through his involvement at Knights of Columbus as well as his day job at Fordham Preparatory School, a high school for boys on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University.
“In a short amount of time, Rich has done a lot for the community over at St. Vincent de Paul,” said Figliozzi. “He was very helpful in getting many provisions and food supplies for the pantry there as well.”
He added, “I thought it was great that someone was taking an initiative, and seeing a need and realizing you’re not going to wait for someone else to fill it.”
Children and adults filled the hospitality center cafeteria the Saturday before Christmas in preparation for a meal and a special treat, a surprise visit from Santa. And anyone who knows Romani would agree that he was the only choice when it came to donning a red suit and white beard. His jovial manner, his charitable nature and his love of food made his version of Santa Claus one that brought smiles to children and parents alike.
“The kids were enthralled — ‘Oh, Santa Claus is here, I can’t believe it,’” Joesten recounted. “It’s wonderful of Rich. He’s very self-sacrificing, and he’s a team player.”
As one child after another sat on Santa’s lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas, Romani sent them to his alter ego’s “workshop”, a walk-in pantry in the cafeteria, where toys and clothes were waiting to be opened. Knights of Columbus members had donated many of the gifts.
“These are things that just come naturally to him,” Joesten said. “It’s ingrained, because you love God, and that love spills over into everyone you meet.”
While charity has long been in Romani’s blood — his father was a Rotarian — it was an interaction he had with a homeless veteran on his first day at the hospitality center that had the greatest impact on him, he says. The man had come for the weekly community meal, but was clutching his stomach and moaning, and told Romani he had eaten something he shouldn’t have. It was clear to Romani that he had taken something from the garbage to eat.
“I told him, ‘No, you eat here from now on,’” Romani recalled. “I packed him up food, I made sure he had some canned goods and some socks and a jacket and made sure he was OK.”
Helping those in need, in Romani’s mind, is more than giving up a Saturday morning or donating an old article of clothing. It is a belief that he is doing the work of God. “It’s a calling,” he said. “It’s part of being a good Catholic.”
Figliozzi said he saw Romani’s commitment to his faith, and his community, when they first met earlier this year. The pairing of Romani with Joesten and the Pope Francis Hospitality Center has clearly paid off in a big way for the people of Elmont.
“That goes to show you the power of one person who has their heart set on doing good. and the difference that makes in the community,” said Figliozzi. “Here you have an example of one person realizing that they can offer whatever talents and gifts or resources that they have, and how it spreads a lot of good cheer to many people.”
