LONG ISLAND COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

HEMPSTEAD: Long Island Council of Churches (LICC) receives $60,000 grant from Newsday Charities, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation.

Newsday Charities, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, gave the Long Island Council of Churches (LICC) a $60,000 grant. The grant will be used to support the Long Island Council of Churches' Social Services and Family Support programs that serve Long Islanders in need throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The Long Island Council of Churches, our region's largest ecumenical and interfaith organization, operates emergency food centers in Freeport (Nassau County) and in Riverhead (Suffolk County). Last year the LICC fed 24,721 hungry Long Islanders 222,489 meals and provided additional family support to another 7,938 individuals and families in crisis.

"We deeply appreciate the support of the McCormick Foundation and Newsday's readers. Without Newsday, I don't know how we could begin to keep up with the needs of our neighbors," said Rev. Tom Goodhue, the LICC's Executive Director.

The LICC is feeding 10% more people this year than it did last year, and last year was a record year. Of these, 47% are children and 45% are adults, mostly single mothers and their children, but also more and more seniors. Meanwhile funding resources continue to decrease, payments on government contracts are increasingly delayed, and Nassau County has just instituted a 21% across-the-board cut in its social services contracts. For the LICC, that means a loss of $27,000 this year on a contract that has not increased a cent in 30 years, despite a 500% increase in the number of people we are serving under the contract.

"We're seeing double the number of seniors than we saw before the economic crisis, and we're serving more young people who can't find work. The economy may be getting better for some segments of the population, but not for the people we serve," said Wally Merna, Freeport Emergency Food Center Manager. "Newsday's critical grant will help us to continue feeding the people who depend on us for survival."

The LICC unites diverse Christians to work together to serve people in need on Long Island and promotes understanding between Christians and non-Christians. Through partnerships with nearly 800 congregations and more than 40 public and private health and social service agencies the LICC provides emergency food, housing, medical assistance, transportation assistance, chaplaincy services in the jails, disaster relief, advocacy and education for a wide range of social issues including affordable housing, adequate health care, the environment, social, racial and gender equality, anti-poverty and anti-bias programs, prison reform, substance abuse and domestic violence programs.

For further information, contact
Tom Goodhue
516-565-0290, ext. 206
licchemp@aol.com