V.S. houses of worship remain lifelines as pandemic persists

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As the first few months of year two of the coronavirus pandemic unfold, many Valley Stream houses of worship continue to give back to residents and neighboring communities with their own food pantries or by donating to other pantries to meet increasing need.

“When Covid first hit, a lot of people were out of jobs, seniors couldn’t go to stores, and many stores were only opened in limited time slots, so there was a larger need from families on Long Island for basic food needs,” said Valley Stream resident Ruhee Kapadia, one of the founders of Valley Stream’s Masjid Hamza food pantry, which started last August. “I feel truly blessed to be able to help so many families and to see that my passion for helping others has turned into a full-blown experience every week.”  

The Masjid Hamza pantry offers nonperishable food items year-round and is open to residents and people in neighboring communities every Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. Occasionally, it offers milk, cooked meat and chicken to families in need. In addition, it is now offering special boxes with Ramadan items to serve Muslim families. Masjid Hamza has also been collecting food donations since the beginning of April for a separate Ramadan food pantry, and will continue to give and collect donations through May 13.

“Ramadan is about doubling your giving and sharing, while demonstrating love to others, and the Masjid Hamza food pantry is not only a Muslim pantry, but we are here to serve all of humanity, not just one faith or religion, because we believe in serving all of mankind,” Kapadia said. “My faith inspires me to help others more because of the saying that the Prophet Muhammad said, ‘You can’t go to sleep if your neighbors are hungry,’ which always reminds me of the importance of giving back to others.”  

In addition to the two pantries, the Masjid Hamza is also planning an Eid toy drive to give gently used or new toys to children in need. Toys will be collected on Saturday, May 1 and 8, at the Masjid Hamza from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. 

The Masjid Hamza has also held clothing drives, given various care packages to homeless people, and members held a winter drive, which offered coats, jackets and scarfs to people in need during December. 

“When I see the smile and contentment on people’s faces when I give back to them, it makes me feel great and it’s a rewarding feeling,” Kapadia said. “My advice to other houses of worship that are thinking about starting a food pantry is that they should start small, and then you can grow and help more and more people. We started small, and then our pantry just took off, and our goal is to keep growing.”

Dr. Sherby Clarke, pastor of Valley Stream Baptist Church for 15 years, said he started his church pantry about three years before the pandemic hit to reach a need in Valley Stream. However, throughout the pandemic, he said, there has been an increased need for food from people everywhere. His pantry is open on Fridays between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Sundays after his church service around noon at the Baptist Church. 

“We deliver up to 70 plates of food at times to people, and we started our food pantry because we wanted to help and reach people in Valley Stream; however, if anyone from anywhere says they need food, we will give it to them,” he said. “The most rewarding thing is knowing that people are fed, and the Bible says that Christians are supposed to be friendly and to give to those in need with love, because without love, giving does not mean anything.” 

The Rev. Charles Foley, a Lynbrook resident and the pastor of Unity Church of Christianity in Valley Stream, said his church does not have its own food pantry; however, for more than 10 years, he and his congregation have collected and donated food and clothing to give to the Mary Brennan INN Soup Kitchen, at 100 Madison Ave. in Hempstead. 

“I believe everyone’s primary need should be spiritual enrichment, and when we give back to others, we are expressing the love of God to them, which helps with their spiritual growth because they see God’s love through us in abundance,” Foley said. “I truly believe the Bible verse that says, ‘Give and you shall receive,’ and our role as Christians is to help the less fortunate get a leg up on their hardship by putting food on the tables and clothing on their backs.” 

Queens resident Norma Pascualini, the three-year pantry manager at Bethlehem Assembly of God Church in Valley Stream, said her church’s pantry has set up a delivery schedule once a week for older adults and those who are homebound because of disability or Covid-19 quarantine. The church’s pantry has run since 2010. Regularly, the pantry is open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m., offering fruits, vegetables, bread, grains and meats and other non-perishable items. 

“There is definitely more of a need now because we are distributing about 75 percent more food now than before the pandemic,” Pascualini said. “The best part about being able to help run a church pantry is that it allows me to help people who are struggling during this pandemic, and I believe it is an expression of God’s love for people. When I see the smile on people’s faces when they receive a bag of food and watch people come together to help others, it is very rewarding.”