Friends,
A glimpse into the days before Christmas:
Tuesday Morning — Starting at Dawn
As I entered the church parking lot on the morning of our Christmas distribution, it was 19 degrees, but the sun was out and there was no wind. I felt ready for our drive-through distribution. I knew that, similar to our Thanksgiving distribution day, by the end of the night, we would distribute turkeys and generous food baskets donated by St. Anne’s to hundreds of families, singles, and seniors.
Our drive-by distribution system, utilizing traffic cones, pop-up tents, and volunteers directing traffic, was a success. Clients remained in their cars while volunteers loaded supplies into their vehicles. For those who walked, we also arranged and paid for local taxi cabs for $4 anywhere in Wyandanch. Noel, Terry, Mark, and Jack personally drove many senior clients home. Since the Parish Hall was no longer available for our distributions, this drive-through system was successfully implemented and will continue to be our model going forward. At the same time in the Outreach Center, Naycha, Cathy, Markus, and a dedicated volunteer crew assembled and distributed overflowing toy bags to hundreds of families. Some of the toys were donated by Temple Beth Torah, St John the Baptist DHS, the Massapequa Knights of Columbus, Newsday, KPMG, Catholic Charities, Three Village Schools District, the Staub Family of Garden City, Maria Ciejka, and many others.
Afternoon
After the morning distribution and before lunch, a man knocked on the Outreach door.
His fingers were swollen; his face was weathered from constant exposure to the elements. His eyes were clear, though a little red, and he smelled of outdoor fire smoke. Instinctively, I asked which woods he was living in. I invited him in, offered him a bottle of water and a seat. He seemed to be a bit humiliated by his position, but I joked with him and told him I was glad he came, as we could help. He handed me his ID and talked about how he got to where he was in life. Sometimes, just listening helps; his name was John.
Because of the generosity of our wider community, we were able to provide John with:
- A waterproof winter jacket donated by a St. Anne’s of Garden City parishioner
- Sweatpants donated by the Jewish Community Center of Plainview
- Canned food suitable for outdoor fire cooking donated by As Siraatal Mustaqeem Islamic Center in Wyandanch
- A heavy-duty 20-mil, 8×10 tarp to help waterproof the hole in the woods where he sleeps, donated by Joanne Jones of FeedingNYC (a United Nations initiative)
- Toiletries
- New underwear
- Size 13 waterproof boots
- A belt
- Two pairs of socks
- Several 2-gallon zip-lock bags (important)
- Two large garbage bags
- A waterproof backpack
- And a few dollars—donated by the Mike Ryan family
- A generous assortment of additional food and supplies donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
We gave John a few pairs of Christmas pajama pants to use as layering, donated by Rich Schaffer and Tony Martinez. (We received a few hundred pairs of these holiday pants and tops, and our clients love them!)
John asked if he could clean up the empty boxes in the back by the dumpster as a way to repay, and I said sure. It was good to see he still has pride.
Late Afternoon
Another 40 families came to receive food and toys, and we finished up after dark, by 5:00! Our volunteers spent five hours outside, happily engaging with clients in a truly festive spirit.
Early Evening
I sent a text to our 20-plus volunteers thanking them for the day, but realized most of them were probably asleep 🙂
The number of lives we were able to help in a single day…because of the support of so many.
And a look forward… A nice way to start 2026!
This week Karen Beatty of Omnibus Fashions in Babylon made arrangements to donate 40 to 50 new prom dresses, which we will give to the Wyandanch High School Students. We will set up a boutique and let the students come in to pick out their dresses.
St John the Baptist DHS is sponsoring a “Souper Bowl” food collection from the students with a goal of donating 2026 food items.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: the Outreach Center is a non-profit community service organization and a place of remarkable solidarity. We thank you for your continued support.
On a personal note, the Polar Bear Plunge on January 1 was absolutely brutal with the cold and 25 MPH wind (-5 real feel), but we endured and completed our 28th consecutive year!
Happy New Year!
Joe
