Bellmore church feeds families for Thanksgiving

About 100 families in need from across Long Island received Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, courtesy of volunteers at a Bellmore church.

Leaders of Connect Church, on Corner Lane in south Bellmore, said they were proud of the community’s efforts in their “Families Feeding Families” outreach program. Volunteers gathered at the church on Sunday, Nov. 24, to present families with boxes of food for Thanksgiving.

John Gravagna, the nondenominational church’s pastor, said that donor families sponsored less fortunate families by purchasing them entire Thanksgiving meals. Packages included turkeys, vegetables, pasta and potatoes, as well as breakfast foodstuffs for the Friday morning after the holiday.

The outreach program started with a 10:30 a.m. service at the church on Sunday morning, at which members sang songs about thankfulness. Families then moved outside to a tent that housed hundreds of packages of food.

Gravagna noted that others in Bellmore became involved with the project. Nancy Moniodes, owner of Nancy the Cupcake Lady on Bedford Avenue, donated boxes of her sweet treats to the cause. Volunteers from Project Hope and Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg were also on hand to help sort and distribute donated items.