Each year during Women’s History Month, the Suffolk County Legislature honors noteworthy women throughout the County for their service and commitment to bettering their communities. This year, Reverend Kim Gambino, a Huntington Station resident and the President/Pastor of Helping Hand Rescue Mission, was selected as the “Woman of Distinction” to represent the 18th Legislative District. Legislator William Spencer visited Reverend Kim earlier this week to present her with a proclamation and to thank her for all that she does to help those in need in the Town of Huntington.
Reverend Kim has dedicated her life to serving families who are struggling to make ends meet through her work with Helping Hand Rescue Mission - Long Island’s first Mission, which was founded by her parents and grandmother in 1965. Hundreds of local families are lifted up and given support through the numerous programs coordinated by Reverend Kim and her volunteers each year. Whether families are in need of food, clothing, household items, or support, Reverend Kim is there to provide assistance along with unconditional love, friendship, and spiritual guidance.
In addition to meeting the food needs of area residents, Reverend Kim organizes holiday outreaches, fundraisers and programs for babies and at-risk youth ensuring a better life and a better chance at living for many who come through the Mission’s doors. When she sees a need, she answers it.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, Reverend Kim led the way for her organization to meet the intensified hardship within the community. They are now regularly assisting three times as many families as they served in 2019. In 2020 alone, the Mission distributed more than 11,000 parcels of non-perishables, equal to more than 245 tons of food, and 4,000 USDA boxes that provided milk, eggs, cheese, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables. This does not include the hot meals the Mission provided 4 days a week during the height of the pandemic. For the holidays, the Mission blessed 1,000 families with turkeys and holiday food, distributed toys to 850 children and also gave new toys to 13 other Long Island agencies who in turn gifted toys to 2,150 more children. Through the Baby Blessings program, over 45,000 diapers were distributed to families with babies in the Huntington community last year.
Pastor Dan Rivera from Huntington Assembly of God shared his thoughts on Reverend Kim receiving this honor, “Huntington Station has been hit hard by the coronavirus causing the basic needs of our neighbors to surge as the virus quickly spread. Throughout the dark days, Kim Gambino has been a light in our community that reflects, love, unity, hard work and commitment. She loves not only with her words, but with her actions. Kim has worked tirelessly to support hundreds of families and individuals in the community by providing for their nutritional needs as well as their emotional and spiritual needs. Our community can easily express the great things she does in public every single day, but the most powerful attribute about Kim is that even when no one is watching, she remains the same and simply loves. She is a reflection of a great love from above and we are blessed to have her in beautiful Huntington Station.”
Reverend Kim resides in Huntington Station with her husband, Andrew, and their blended family of 5 children. She has a true love for her community and people. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, cooking and spending time with her family including their precious Doodle Einstein.
“No undertaking is ever too much for Reverend Kim. She is a dynamo who fills her time valuably, as well as humbly. She is very unassuming and does all of this without any fanfare,” said Legislator Spencer. “For all of these reasons, I have chosen Reverend Kim Gambino as the 2021 “Woman of Distinction” for the 18th Legislative District.”