By Lauren Brookmeyer
Whether or not 350 families of Nassau County will have a Thanksgiving dinner this year rests on the director of St. Brigid’s Parish Outreach program, a University alum and a group of volunteers this week.
The Outreach program provides underprivileged families not only food, but also clothing, transportation and help with family emergencies, as well as referrals for other forms of assistance.
“If only the giving spirit that chooses itself at Thanksgiving and Christmas could be present all year round, maybe then, so many people would not go hungry,” said Joan Echausse, the director of the Outreach program in Westbury.
Echausse and about 65 volunteers gathered at St. Brigid’s Church last Saturday for the parish’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., volunteers unloaded, sorted and stored bundles of food donated from all over Long Island.
“We get everyone from parochial school kids to community members in their late 70’s to volunteer,” said Paul Echausse, Joan’s husband and University class of 1954 alum.
After sorted into Thanksgiving dinners, complete with a large turkey, stuffing, cranberries and more, the meals are bagged and distributed to “supplement the families’ needs of the greater Westbury area during the week of Nov. 20,” he added.
“I feel it’s my duty to give back to the community. After all, there are a lot of hungry people around, so I volunteer every chance I get,” said Rose Greco, a Westbury resident and an Outreach volunteer for four years.
Although she was one of the eldest volunteers, Greco’s age did not inhibit her from performing the arduous tasks of lifting and sorting food for hours.
Echausse said that she is confident that St. Brigid’s Food Pantry has received enough food donations to reach the goal of 350 dinners. However, the Food Pantry, which is open all year round, is far from always being full.
“This year we have been very fortunate,” said Ximena Aravena, the Food Pantry director.
Although people remain hungry all year long, Aravena added that the winter tends to be an extremely difficult season for the poor of the community. Day laborers lose their jobs during the fall and do not go back to work until March.
According to Arayena, with a massive influx of immigrants from Central America, the needs of the poor are growing in Nassau County.
“The poor are becoming poorer,” said Echausse. “The people who come to the Food Pantry come from all levels of life; the immigrants, the homeless, department of Social Service recipients and even those who have recently lost $50,000-a-year jobs.”
Sister Dorothy Lynch founded the Food Pantry, located in the basement of St. Brigid’s rectory, in 1976.
“When I started, there were only five of us,” said Joan Echausse, who has volunteered for St. Brigid’s Outreach program since the beginning. “Now, 30 years later, there are at least 100 of us.”
Volunteering for St. Brigid’s Outreach since she retired in 1999, Barbra Meisel, of Westbury, is also amazed at how far the Food Pantry has progressed over the years.
“We used to just give bags of food depending on the size of the families,” said Meisel. “But now, people can shop in the Pantry. They deserve the opportunity to select what they like to eat.”
Food Pantry invitees are given a card, which denotes how much food their family can receive according to the family’s size. A family member is then given a shopping cart and can select the foods they want from the Pantry’s shelves. The Food Pantry serves about 500 families a month. It is open Monday and Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and then from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“We can always use more volunteers,” Joan Echaussee said. “You have people who don’t know why they come, but once they get a taste of it, they love to help.”
St. Brigid’s Church in Westbury offers an outreach program that provides food and clothes to the needy.