How Uniondale Library is making a difference through the Great Give Back

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The Uniondale Library spent Saturday giving back to the community as a part of the Great Give Back. 

“We love participating in anything that comes as an initiative from the Nassau Library System,” Mara Marin, library director, said.  

The Great Give Back is an annual initiative organized by libraries in New York that is designed to engage communities in service-oriented projects. Participating libraries host events and activities throughout a specific day that promote giving back to the community, whether through volunteering, donations or educational workshops.

During the Great Give Back, libraries often partner with local organizations to facilitate community service projects, donation drives and workshops that focus on various social issues. The goal is to “provide a day of opportunities for the patrons of the Public Libraries of New York State to participate in meaningful, service-oriented experiences,” according to the Great Give Back website.

Nearly 190 libraries participated this year, Marin said, with Uniondale being one of them. All three library departments — children’s, teen services and adult services — hosted events. 

Adult services has been hosting an Island Harvest food drive, collecting nonperishable foods from Oct. 1 to 19 to donate to the Long Island division of Island Harvest. The Friends of the library sat outside at the booth to help collect donations.

They also hosted an outdoor jazz concert featuring musicians Frank Barbera on guitar and Michael Leuci on drums, which gathered a large audience. 

Teen services focused this year’s efforts on pets. They have been collecting cat food since Oct. 1 and continue to collect until Oct. 25. During the Great Give Back, people of all ages came to make cat beds by sewing together two pieces of felt and stuffing it. All the materials were donated to Bobbi and the Strays, an animal shelter in Freeport. 

“I wanted something that could help but also be safe for the cats,” Amanda Borgia, head of teen services, said. 

The children’s department also had a coloring station set up, where kids made cards to give to local senior centers. 

“We feel this is beneficial for our community, and actually for Long Island,” Marin said about the Great Give Back. “They say think globally, act locally, and this is exactly what we do.”