Despite the economic crisis, foreclosures that hit a record high, and continued turmoil in the financial sector, the Development Department had an excellent year, raising a total of $359,549.20 from all sources, nearly $100,000 more than last year. The number of clients we served last year was unprecedented in the 8 ½ years I’ve been with the LICC, reaching a total of 30,265 served through direct social service programs from all of our facilities. Our personal financial education and interfaith education programs served several thousand more.

It takes about ten years to build a sustainable fundraising program. We’re into our ninth year and doing very well considering the massive loss of jobs, still rising foreclosures, and the continuing economic crisis that has caused our client load to rise by over 50% from the previous year. We’re expanding our reach, serving more clients, and building new, sustainable programs that serve a greater diversity of needs than ever before. We’re particularly proud of the MICAH (“Mobilized Interfaith Coalition Against Hunger”) Advocacy project we began two years ago in partnership with Catholic Charities and then took over last July thanks to a $100,000 gift from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock’s Large Grants program. MICAH was the realization of our long-held dream to fund an LICC Advocacy Program to advocate for the poor, and MICAH has led to additional opportunities to do what we do particularly well, i.e., organize and coordinate faith-based efforts throughout Long Island to alleviate homelessness, hunger and poverty.

Other funding highlights include:

• Newsday Charities’ critical grant that enabled us to keep our Riverhead facility open and serve nearly double the numbers we served the previous year.
• Two major gifts that enabled us to hire an urgently needed third full-time staff person for our Riverhead facility.
• A gift from The Presbytery of Long Island that paid the rent for our first 12 months at the Touro Law Center for the MICAH project.
• Increased funding from the Nassau County Bar Association that enabled us to feed everyone who came to our Freeport Food Center for emergency food.
• We also welcome the following new funders:
  • Roslyn Savings Foundation, for a $5,000 grant for our emergency food programs.
  • TD Banknorth for a $10,000 grant for our personal financial education programs.
  • Bethpage Federal Credit Union for a $5,000 grant for our personal financial education programs and direct social services.
  • Southampton Bath & Tennis Club Charitable Fund for a $1,250 grant for our Annual Migrant Thanksgiving Dinner for migrant and seasonal workers on the East End.
  • Episcopal Charities of Long Island for a $10,000 grant to support a new job development program we are conducting in collaboration with Grace Episcopal Church in Riverhead and with FEGS-Long Island, a Jewish health and social services agency with which we partnered for the same in the aftermath of 9/11.

We thank the countless number of individuals and institutions that gave so generously when the economic crisis drove thousands more to our doors for help. We could not have served them without your generosity.