Moores give back for Thanksgiving

For about 30 years, Donna and Marianne Moore, the co-owners of Moore Funeral Home on Jamaica Avenue, have been providing Thanksgiving lunches to senior citizens in Valley Stream. They continued the tradition this year when they served lunch to almost 300 seniors at the Charles J. Monica Senior Village Apartments, the Valley Stream Community Center and the Green Acres Senior Center.

“They’re very appreciative,” Marianne said. She added that the seniors often joke that they would eat the lunch, so long as its not contingent on them being buried. Marianne replies, “We’re just trying to feed people if you’re hungry.”

She said that the annual tradition was the brainchild of Donna because she wanted to give back to the neighborhood who has trusted them with their loved ones. “We’re thankful to the members of the community who extend their trust to us,” Marianne said.

And the seniors seem appreciative of the annual lunch as well. About 80 residents joined the feast at the Green Acres Senior Center on Nov. 15. “The seniors look forward to it,” said Leonardo “Dino” Ubaldini, who works as a nutritionist at the senior center.

He added that the senior center administration enjoys having the Moore sisters every year because it’s “something different for the seniors,” and “everybody’s going to be a senior someday.”

“We like to have it because we like to make the seniors happy,” Ubaldini said.