At NOSH, service isn’t just about distributing food—it’s about breaking down barriers, fostering community, and teaching young people the power of giving back. On Feb. 8, NOSH hosted its fourth Day of Service, bringing together volunteers, families, and children for a day dedicated to food dignity and outreach.
Unlike traditional volunteer days, the NOSH Day of Service is unique in that it includes both volunteers and families who receive assistance, fostering an inclusive environment.
“We’re really trying to make it not segregated between if you’re a receiving family and you’re a volunteer family,” explained Courtney Callahan, NOSH’s Director of Youth and Community Engagement and founding member. “In a lot of cases, there’s not too much difference in what people have to work with financially. We really just want to be one big family.”
The event, which has previously taken place on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, serves as a way to break the stigma surrounding food assistance and encourage young people to take ownership of community service. “Even kids who receive assistance from NOSH can still volunteer,” Callahan said. “They’re nonprofit entrepreneurs. They’re taking part in something bigger than themselves.”
A major component of the day was KFIP—the Kids Food Independence Program—which began last summer when NOSH faced a shortage of food donations while school meal programs were paused.
“The kids had just gotten out of school, and the federally funded breakfast and lunch program stops,” Courtney explained. When she asked the kids what they were going to do about it, their initial reaction was disbelief: “They looked at me with the biggest eyes, like, ‘Us?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, your kids, you’re here, and you have a heart for this.’”
Through KFIP, young volunteers decorated and packed hundreds of breakfast and lunch bags, ensuring families had extra support during school breaks.
“If three siblings come to NOSH most of the summer for breakfast and lunch and pick up our bags, that’s probably contributing $1,100 to their family food budget,” Callahan noted. “That is substantial.”
For sophomore Charlotte Decker, a member of Glen Cove High School’s Key Club, the experience has been deeply rewarding. “The Key Club just started up again at my school, so for just this year, I’ve been going to some of the Days of Service that were offered,” she said. “I like to give back to the community and help those who need it.”
Decker, spent the day helping younger children decorate care packages for community members. “We were making these little heart craft things to send to the children’s hospital,” she said.
Beyond food distribution, the Day of Service includes crafting and community outreach projects. Volunteers created 100 handcrafted hearts for the Glen Cove Senior Center and another 100 for Penny’s Flight Adaptive Academy, which supports children with cancer by helping them participate in activities like surfing and gymnastics. The event also featured crafting stations for younger children, food-packing tables for teens, and picnic tables for families to engage in service together.
With nearly 40 high school volunteers from Glen Cove, North Shore, Locust Valley, Chaminade, Friends Academy, and Portledge school districts, NOSH has fostered a culture of youth-led service.
“Our kids are so noble,” Callahan said. “They know they want to live in a better world, and they know they can make it a better world—one kindness at a time.”
