Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Sea Cliff residents John Canning and Lisa Spina have been appointed to the board of the North Shore Soup Kitchen, a Glen Cove-based nonprofit dedicated to providing meals to those in need.
Canning, 61, brings decades of public service and community involvement to his new role. A former Nassau County legislator and an active participant in numerous civic and charitable organizations, Canning said he was inspired to give back by the spirit of volunteerism he witnessed growing up in Sea Cliff.
“Sea Cliff has been called ‘the village of volunteers,’ and that spirit really informed my thinking on the subject and my approach to it,” Canning said. “So, there was kind of an ethos of involvement in the community.”
Canning’s path to the soup kitchen’s board began when he emceed the organization’s fundraising dinner honoring longtime volunteer Estelle Moore. He was later invited to join the board by its chairman, Robert Sherman, who praised Canning’s dedication to community service.
“Everybody in the area knows John Canning by virtue of his personality and his involvement in so many other organizations,” Sherman said. “After he emceed one of our bigger events in 2024, light bulbs started going off in some of the board members’ heads and we thought, ‘Why don’t we have Jim on our board?’.”
Canning has been involved with countless community initiatives, from emceeing local events like the Sea Cliff baseball and softball Opening Day ceremonies to serving on the boards of organizations like the Visiting Nurse Association of Oyster Bay and Raynham Hall Museum. He is also a lector at St. Boniface Martyr Parish, where he has volunteered since his youth.
Lisa Spina, a longtime volunteer with a background in accounting, also joins the board with a wealth of experience. Spina, who could not be reached for comment, initially became involved in the board when she offered her accounting skills free of charge to the kitchen, helping to maintain their financial records and accounts.
Sherman expressed confidence in the new board members’ ability to contribute to the soup kitchen’s mission, adding that “Both John and Lisa bring a deep sense of community and a wealth of experience to our organization.”
In their new role on the soup kitchen’s board, Canning and Spina will focus on ensuring the soup kitchen’s programs run efficiently, engaging with volunteers, and raising community awareness about its services. Canning emphasized the importance of the organization’s work, particularly during the colder months.
“One of the unique aspects of the North Shore Soup Kitchen is that we prepare and serve hot meals,” Canning said. “Particularly at this time of year, these hot meals can really make a difference in people’s lives.”
The soup kitchen operates three days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, at the First Baptist Church in Glen Cove, serving an estimated 8,000 meals per year to anyone who needs them. It is staffed entirely by volunteers from across the North Shore and funded through donations and grants.
Founded in 1989, the North Shore Soup Kitchen has become a vital resource for the community, providing tens of thousands of meals annually. The organization relies on a network of dedicated volunteers and board members to carry out its mission, serving roughly 50 to 60 meals on a given day.
For Canning, the opportunity to serve on the board represents another chapter in a lifetime of giving back.
“I feel very privileged and blessed to be able to contribute,” he said. “Whether it’s through volunteering, public service, or now with the soup kitchen, my goal has always been to help keep our communities’ great places to live.”
Residents interested in volunteering or supporting the soup kitchen’s mission can learn more at NorthShoreSoupKitchen.org or by visiting their Facebook page.
