Port Residents Tackle Hunger on Sunday

Hunger is a growing problem on Long Island, even in a community like Port Washington. Some families find themselves choosing between food and other essentials, such as utilities, or heat, according to Long Island Cares.

On Sunday, however, families on the North Shore, including Port Washington, caught a break, thanks to volunteers from Tikkun Alliance of the North Shore (TANS). They were in full force at 382 Main Street, participating in TANS' 2nd Annual Campaign Against Hunger. In Port Washington alone, these volunteers delivered food and winter supplies for nearly 200 people in need.

"It felt especially good to help out in Port Washington since I live here too," said Linda Moskowitz, a new resident of Port Washington and member of Temple Beth Shalom of Roslyn.

TANS is a collaborative community effort formed to address issues affecting the world today. It's focus on the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, repairing the world, includes tackling hunger, poverty and problems in the environment.

But Sunday was all about community. Just ask Moskowitz.

"Two years ago our first project was recycling and we recently collected shoes and sent them to the earthquake victims in Haiti - 'Soles for Souls.'" Moskowitz said. "Our group wants to give aid wherever it's needed." 

Port resident Janice Wardlaw, a supervisor of the , assisted TANS in planning Sunday's event. That included creating flyers announcing the event in English and Spanish, and distributing them to local houses of worship and organizations.

Earlier in the morning volunteers – including children, Hebrew school and adult B'nai Mitzvah students – prepared brownies, sandwiches and baked ziti at Temple Beth Shalom and Temple Sinai of Roslyn. They then transported the food and clothing by caravan to Port Washington.  

Organizers included Jill Barry and Nancy Schreiber of Temple Sinai of Roslyn, from which Rabbi Ben David lent support. Alyssa Greenberg of of Port Washington, Moskowitz and Pamela Cott of Temple Beth Shalom of Roslyn, and Gila Hadani Ward, director of Lifelong Learning, all played major roles.  

The TANS consortium also consists of , Temple Beth Shalom of Roslyn, Temple Sinai of Roslyn, Temple Israel of Great Neck, Temple Judea of Manhasset, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, North Shore Synagogue, Shelter Rock Jewish Center, The Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore, Mid-Island Y JCC, Midway Jewish Center, Temple Chaverim, and the UJA-Federation of New York NCL/Connections.

TANS collected 750 pieces of winter clothing as well as 500 pounds of food and supplies, including coats,winter clothing, blankets, sleeping bags and toiletries. Other locations were Westbury, Hempstead, Glen Cove and Wyandanch.

Those in Port Washington gave the event high mark, and expect to serve even more people next year. 

"This was our first involvement with the TANS and we are looking forward to having more people from the community come next year and reap the benefits of their wonderful project," Wardlaw said. "We need to have transportation available in the future so more can show up."