Volunteering over the holidays
Cole O'Hanian, 11, of Deer Park, hands a toy to volunteer Sabrina Savino, of West Islip, at a Toys for Tots drive in Deer Park. (Dec. 11, 2010) Credit: Ed Betz
The holiday season is a time of giving - and many people feel especially compelled to volunteer to help out in their communities.
Soup kitchens are often the first thought people have, and they become overwhelmed with volunteers this time of year. But other groups need help, too, from nursing homes to animal shelters.
And don't forget the time after the holidays as well, says Carolyn Gumbs, office manager for the Long Island Council of Churches in Riverhead. "We have lots of volunteers right now," she says. "We need help after Christmas." Make it a New Year's resolution to continue all year long.
1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre
If you have a talent to share - be it playing an instrument or holiday caroling - you can perform during the lunch hour for the 40 patients at the Mercy Medical Center Rehab Unit. Patients are recovering from events such as hip surgery or knee replacement surgery. "We've have people come in and play the piano, violin, cello," says Kathleen Fee, director of volunteers. Performers can be as young as 6, she says. Evening volunteers perform on the floor of a unit.
Families can spend a morning or afternoon collecting pet food donations for the shelter. To get started, director Chris Elton will provide a card you can show pet store management to request permission to collect food outside the establishment. Make a big sign and ask shoppers if they want to donate a bag of cat or dog food for the 60 dogs and 40 cats at the shelter. "It actually works," Elton says. "It enlivens the variety of food the animals get to enjoy," Elton says.
Island Harvest collects food donations and delivers them to organizations across Long Island that are feeding people who are hungry. Through the end of December, every McDonald's, Panera Bread, Bristal Assisted Living and Citibank locations are collecting food - when the drop-off boxes are full, Island Harvest needs volunteers to pick up the goods and deliver them to warehouses in Uniondale or Holbrook. Volunteers must be willing to stop at a Department of Motor Vehicles branch to pick up a $10 MV-15 form to show he or she has a valid license, insurance and clean driving record. They must also fill out the Island Harvest's paperwork, which takes just a few minutes, says Island Harvest president Randi Schubin Dresner.
Because New Year's Eve this year is on a Friday, and Gurwin is a Jewish facility that respects the Jewish Sabbath, the center is having its New Year's Eve entertainment for its 460 residents next Thursday. The center needs volunteers who can bring residents from their rooms to the event, enjoy the entertainment by "Spotlight Duo" with them, and then wheel them back to their rooms. "Everyone is in wheelchairs, so bringing people down is important," says Phyllis Kogan, volunteer manager at Gurwin. School-aged children may accompany parents, but no children younger than 5, please, because of all the wheelchair activity. "We don't want anyone getting hurt," Kogan says.
