Oceanside teen honored for fighting hunger

Oceanside High School junior Cory Nichols was honored at a Youth Leadership Event at the VFW in Lynbrook last month for his continued help in fighting hunger on Long Island.

Nichols, 16, who got his start in acting at age 6 and has been in television shows like “Nurse Jackie” and “Louie,” and recently starred in a film called “King Jack,” was inspired to start donating food at age 11 after he saw a documentary at a film festival about Long Islanders struggling to eat.

“It really opened my eyes to how people that look like anyone else were the ones using the food pantries, and that it was really no specific person and it affected so many people,” Nichols explained. “I was really determined to do something about it.”

He founded a nonprofit organization — C the Difference: Cory Cares — in 2012, after setting out to raise $1,200 for his bar mitzvah project to help St. Anthony’s Church in Oceanside purchase food. He continued increasing his fundraising goals and has raised more than $60,000 over the last five years.

“I was always open to the growth,” Nichols said, “and I think that’s part of why it’s where it is today.”

Assemblyman Brian Curran presented Nichols with a citation and a New York state pin at the inaugural event dedicated to honoring local students for their commitment to the community.  

“Cory is an amazing young man,” Curran said. “…At a time when so many are worried about taking care of themselves, it is so wonderful to be in the presence of a young man who is not only concerned about the needs of others, but is actively helping to remedy the situation.”

C the Difference hosts monthly food drives, and shops to stock the shelves of at least four food pantries around Long Island each month, including St. Anthony’s, Oceanside Community Service, Hatzilu Kosher Food Pantry and St. Christopher’s, both in Baldwin, as well as others in Lynbrook, Huntington and Hicksville. The organization has raised enough to stock these pantries each month for the next three years, said Nichols’ mother, Jess.

To date, the nonprofit has delivered more than 30,000 pounds of food, and most recently, raised $6,700 during the nonprofit’s third annual raffle fundraiser last month, which alone funds about a year of food for all the pantries, Nichols said.

About 20,000 pounds of the food has gone to the Oceanside community directly, Jess said, and the nonprofit’s Halloween for the Hungry food drive generates about 1,000 pounds of food, which goes toward the hamlet’s annual Turkey Shoot.

Nichols said he plans to expand his efforts to his college town in a couple years, wherever that may be. He formed a junior advisory board — made up of 10 students, ages 13 to 18 — two years ago, and has garnered hundreds of volunteers, which he added will help the nonprofit thrive.

“I feel like I’ve given people an opportunity,” Nichols said. “So many people want to help out, but just never have an opportunity to, and my goal is to make it easy for people.”