Serving those in need on Thanksgiving in Lawrence

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For many, Thanksgiving is all about gathering around the dinner table with the people they love and counting their blessings. For some, the day is a reminder that they have less than others.

The Cedarhurst-based Rock and Wrap It Up! hosted its 32nd annual Thanksgiving feast at Gammy’s Pantry at the Five Towns Community Center in Lawrence, to help families in need with food and a warm place to share it on the holiday.

Syd Mandelbaum founded Rock and Wrap It Up! in 1991 to fight poverty and hunger. Since 2020, the poverty think tank and charitable organization has held its Thanksgiving event at the community center, after hosting it in churches in Far Rockaway over the years.

Gammy’s Pantry opened in 2018, with the aim of eliminating food insecurity in the Five Towns. Sasha Young, its founder and director, is the reason Mandelbaum holds the holiday meal distribution at the center. “She really supports the community,” he said, “and that’s why we believe so much in working with her and the Five Towns Community Center.”

Preparations for the feast began on Nov. 22. Rock and Wrap It Up! collected donations of canned goods at the Franklin Early Childhood Center, in Hewlett and Gammy’s organized a collection at Ogden Elementary School, in Valley Stream. Both schools are in the Hewlett-Woodmere School District.

The feast offered a hot buffet as well as takeout food. Roughly 800 meals were prepared throughout the day. Food to go was distributed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the buffet was served from 1 to 3 p.m.

In addition to the food collected at the schools, the Nassau County Bar Association donated 25 cooked turkeys, along with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and dessert; Woodmere residents Ed and Michelle Schornstein purchased 65 hams and turkeys for the event; and Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, in Lawrence, cooked two whole turkeys for the buffet.

In the days before Thanksgiving, Mandelbaum and several volunteers picked up the donated food and delivered it to Tony D’s Pizzeria, in Hewlett; Frank’s Steaks, in Rockville Centre; Friendlier Pizzeria Restaurant, in Woodmere; the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club and EGP in Oceanside for storage.

The buffet was open to anyone who was alone on the holiday. More that 100 people volunteered from Mandelbaum’s team, and Young recruited several dozen more to help out.

“Any seniors can come in, or anyone that is lonely and doesn’t have family,” Young explained. “Maybe this is their first year in this country, and they don’t really know about Thanksgiving, so we want to provide a nice nutritious, yummy meal.”

She highlighted Dickey’s Barbecue Pit’s efforts. “They’re friends of the pantry, and help us with all of our events,” Young said. “They’re a really good local business that understands giving back.”

Lifelong Hewlett resident Jay Greenbaum, who has raised thousands of dollars for a variety of organizations by running the New York City Marathon, has volunteered at the Thanksgiving event for over 20 years. A longtime friend of Mandelbaum’s, Greenbaum said he respects his commitment to helping the community.

“I loved what he’s all about,” Greenbaum said. Asked why he volunteers, he said, “It feels good to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s very special to be able to pull it together. It’s a team effort.”

Woodmere resident Rhonnie Fischman was volunteering at the holiday event for the fifth time. She feels grateful, she said, that she can help those who need it, and who rely on organizations such as Rock and Wrap It Up! during the holiday season.

“It’s wonderful,” Fischman said. “People know they’re lucky because they’re able to help people. The people who come feel lucky. They know they’re getting help.”