Saturday, May 24, 2025
As spring sprung outside of the Uniondale ShopRite, members of the East Meadow Kiwanis and the Key Club at East Meadow High School turned grocery runs into acts of kindness during their annual Spring Food Drive on April 5 and 6.
The Key Club is affiliated with the Kiwanis Club of East Meadow, which organizes two seasonal food drives each year, one each in the spring and fall. Volunteers collected sealed food items and ingredients, from canned goods to cake mix, as well as gift cards to purchase perishable items like dairy products and fresh vegetables. The goal was to provide every family in need in East Meadow with at least three bags of food.
“I really love doing food drives because it’s direct,” Catherine Razzano, Kiwanis Club member who has chaired the food drive committee with her husband Mark for six years, told the Herald in the fall. “There’s nothing in between — it’s volunteers collecting food, and that food gets sorted by the kids and goes right into the homes of people who need it, and this one is actually really embedded in the East Meadow community.”
Volunteers, including club members and community participants, gathered outside the store to encourage shoppers to contribute to the cause. The collected items were intended to support local food pantries and assist families facing food insecurity.
The East Meadow Kiwanis Club has a longstanding tradition of organizing food drives to support the community. Their efforts are part of a broader mission to serve children and families through various service projects and initiatives.
Nichole Manalil, a senior at the high school and Key Club president, reflected on what being part of the greater-Kiwanis Club has meant to her. Taking part in the food drive has given students like Manalil a new perspective on life, she said, and drove her to consider how to use her position in the community for good.
“When we get donations, it’s such a heartwarming feeling, that kindness from total strangers who are going throughout their day and donate what they can,” Manalil said. “I want to be able to give back whatever I can and make people feel empowered to live their lives. I’m so glad that we have this organization that teaches young students like me how to become leaders, and how to take part and really take action in our community right away.”
“Our Spring Food Drive is now in the books,” The Kiwanis wrote on Facebook after the event. “Thank you to all of our club members and members of the East Meadow Key Club for volunteering their time. Thanks to the generous donations from shoppers, donations were shipped to the (church) pantry’s at St. Martha’s, St. Raphael’s and St. Brigid’s. Monetary donations were donated to the Nassau County Veterans Food Pantry in East Meadow.”
The East Meadow Kiwanis is part of community events all year long. For more on what’s ahead, visit EastMeadowKiwanis.org.
