Local libraries commit to give back to communities

Libraries across Nassau County are preparing for another year of the Great Give Back, a community service initiative in which Long Island libraries collect everything from school supplies and socks to dog food and donate them to assist those in need. The initiative, which began in 2017, is an opportunity for libraries to make a difference in their communities, serving not just as repositories of knowledge, but also as community centers.
The Great Give Back was created by the Suffolk County Public Library Directors Association and the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, in conjunction with the Nassau Library System, to encourage library patrons to get involved in service-oriented experiences. Those experiences vary from library to library, and North Shore libraries have each come up with their own themes for donations. Some, like the Bayville Free Library, partner with local charities and nonprofit organizations like the Long Island Cares Harry Chapin Food Bank.
Libraries in more than 50 counties around the state now take part in the Great Give Back. The Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library has been involved since the event was founded in 2017, according to head librarian Stacie Hammond.
“Libraries — we talk to each other, you know,” Hammond said. “We share ideas and information all the time, and when we got flyers from the Nassau Library System, we thought, hey, we might want to get on board with this. So every year we come up with some way to contribute, something that will help.”
Libraries do their best to not repeat projects from year to year. Some, such as the Sea Cliff Village Library and the Bayville facility, collect canned and other non-perishable foods to donate to community food banks, while others, like the Gold Coast Public Library, are planning to decorate pumpkins for residents of the Regency Assisted Living Facility in Glen Cove.

According to Phyllis Grazios, a librarian at the Glen Cove Public Library, some libraries schedule a main event on Oct. 15, the Great Give Back’s official date, while others collect donations throughout the month. Some, like Glen Cove, which is collecting donated winter clothing for local families in need, do a little of both, collecting throughout October while also holding a small event on the 15th.
“During the whole month of October, we have two huge boxes in the library, which the kids are going to decorate …,” Grazios said. “The donations are going to go on through the whole month of October, and then, also, the kids will earn extra community service as they bring in new donations.”
Overall, the event gives libraries, patrons and children an opportunity to come together to make a difference in their communities. Camille Purcell, director of the Sea Cliff library, explained how this yearly event is beneficial not only to those in need, but also to the libraries themselves.
“We’re always trying to be a part of the community,” Purcell said. “It’s great when we can do something like this to show that we’re more than just books and stuff like that.”