Community Service Expo seeks to boost volunteerism as MLK Day of Service approaches

Kate Ventura of Wading River, a retired administrator from Eastern Suffolk BOCES who volunteers at her church, was hoping to find more ways to give back to her community on Saturday afternoon.

So she stopped by the Riverhead Free Library for a Community Service Expo organized by the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force.

Ventura — who helps with food pickups and deliveries at St. John the Baptist in Riverhead — was one of a few dozen people, many of them retirees, who heard pitches at the expo from nonprofit organizations seeking new volunteers.

“I have the time and I have the heart and I’m willing,” Ventura said.

The first-ever expo aimed to match people seeking to volunteer with organizations in the Riverhead area. Cindy Clifford, who chairs the task force, said the idea for the event came as a way to celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service this year.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is Jan. 16, is the only federal holiday designated by Congress as a national day of service.

“Since not everyone has an outlet for service, we thought, why don’t we make it easy for them to find some different things to do,” Clifford said.

With sunshine pouring in through the windows of the library’s browsing room, volunteers set up at tables as people picked up pamphlets and chatted with representatives.

Members of the North Fork Animal Welfare League, which operates shelters in Riverhead and Southold, shared the work the organization has done this past year to rescue 887 animals — 500 of which came from high-kill shelters.

They even brought along Hattie, a shepherd mix recently rescued from Georgia, to help sway potential volunteers.

“We mostly have people come in to just cuddle with cats and walk the dogs,” said Paige Starzee, who has worked for nearly two years with NFAWL as a kennel attendant.

The expo was the latest in a series of monthly events the task force has held at the library. Kerrie McMullen-Smith, the library director, credited Clifford and the task force for putting it together.

“We really like to partner with the nonprofits,” she said. “The relationships are important to the library.” 

Roberta Shoten, executive director of Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead, said the pandemic has limited opportunities for organizations to attend events like Saturday’s expo to meet people. She started her role just a few weeks before the pandemic hit.

“It’s been a challenge,” she said, adding that the farm could use help with anything from raking leaves to people assisting at the annual country fair.

Other organizations represented included The Butterfly Effect Project, Sound Justice Initiative, Open Arms Food Pantry and North Fork Kids Animal Rescue.

Chris Bermudez, a Stony Brook University student, represented the Riverhead Community Awareness Program. He interns with the organization as he prepares for a career in social work.

Riverhead CAP provides drug and alcohol prevention programs and works closely with the Riverhead Central School District. 

Pamela Greinke recently helped found a nonprofit to provide services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault called Hope and Resilience Long Island. While her organization could use volunteers with particular expertise, such a family law attorney, Greinke said people could still help in simpler ways by volunteering at fundraisers or with social media.

She found one potential volunteer in Joanne Mayer, a retired social worker from Deer Park who attended the expo with Jack Bratchie of Oakdale.

“To me it would be a very interesting kind of thing to be doing,” Mayer said.