Community organizations, service providers, families and residents gathered on Saturday to celebrate Community Action Month during a Family Day event hosted by the Glen Cove Economic Opportunity Commission in partnership with Glen Cove Gardens Development LLC. The event offered resources, information, entertainment and opportunities for residents to connect with local organizations that provide support throughout the year.
The celebration highlighted the mission of the Economic Opportunity Commission, which serves low-income families across Nassau County through programs focused on food assistance, housing support, education, employment and youth services. Representatives from EOCs across Long Island attended the event, including EOC of Nassau County Chief Executive Officer Eric Poulson.
“This is our first Community Action Month event,” said Glen Cove EOC Program Director Irma Jeanty. She explained that May is recognized nationally as Community Action Month and that Glen Cove was selected to host this year’s gathering. “Working for community action is more than a job. It’s a mission,” Jeanty said, noting that the agency’s work centers on helping families access resources and support.
Jeanty said the event was designed not only as a celebration, but also as an opportunity for residents to learn about services available in the community.
“It’s for the whole community to come together and celebrate,” she said. “This is our time where we sit together and say, ‘How can we do better? What would you like to see happening in the community or in our program?’”
The event featured community vendors, nonprofit organizations, food, raffles and entertainment, including a performance by dancers from Glen Dance Studio. Organizers also recognized the contributions of volunteers, board members and local sponsors who helped make the event possible. The celebration also featured a raffle table sponsored by Gail and Wendy Waller, whose donations added to the festivities and helped create excitement for attendees throughout the afternoon.
Among those in attendance was Glen Cove resident Denishia Usher, 39, who said her connection to the EOC dates back to her own childhood. Now a mother of four, with three children participating in EOC programs, she said the agency has remained an important resource for her family.
“I come to participate in the program because it’s like an outreach,” Usher said. “We get to meet new people and find out more information about what we could benefit from.”
Usher encouraged more families to take advantage of EOC programs and events.
“They do help families out a lot,” she said. “More families should come out and participate in the functions because it’s beneficial. They never know what help they could be provided if they came out.”
Glen Cove High School Principal Allen Hudson also praised the agency’s impact on the community. Hudson said he worked for the EOC as a youth worker while attending college and has seen firsthand the organization’s value.
“I think this is a great community event,” Hudson said. “The EOC really does a lot for people. It provides opportunities, job opportunities for our students. It provides just a great help for the community.”
Hudson credited Jeanty’s leadership with helping expand awareness of the organization and bringing residents together through events such as Family Day.
Poulson said the Glen Cove EOC office operates with a staff of three and assists roughly 400 families. He noted that those figures represent unduplicated families, many of whom receive multiple services throughout the year. Families may access food assistance, utility support, rental assistance, youth programs and educational opportunities simultaneously, he explained.
“We are the designated anti-poverty agency of Nassau County,” Poulson said. “Poverty is our business. That’s what we want to help low-income individuals get on a trajectory to find self-sufficiency.”
According to Poulson, the EOC employs roughly 300 people and operates 13 locations throughout Nassau County. He described the Glen Cove office as a “microcosm” of the broader services available countywide, with the shared goal of helping residents meet immediate needs while working toward long-term stability and independence.
