Seven Long Island Places Helping During Covid-19

LongIsland.com

These organizations and businesses have stepped up to help.

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Photo: Stony Brook Hospital Facebook page.

Long Islanders have come together to help those on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic in big ways. Below we highlight seven different stories about those businesses and organizations that are helping.

 

Long Island Harvest: Over 25.2 Million Pounds of Food Needed to Feed Hungry During Crisis

 

Island Harvest Food Bank estimates that a $25 donation can help them feed a family of four for up to four days. Even before the economic fallout from the coronavirus crisis, 2.5 million working-age New Yorkers were struggling to make ends meet and now, the need is greater than ever and only getting worse. Island Harvest Food Bank estimates that since March it has provided over one million meals across Long Island. Along with its sister organization, City Harvest, they expect to rescue and deliver 25.2 million pounds of food to meet the growing demand between now and June 30.

 

Silver Shield Foundation Board Member Works to Get Local Police Donation of PPEs

 

Vincent LeVien’s usual day job is director of government and community affairs for the DeSales Media Group, the communications arm for of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. Nowadays he spends most of his time running the group’s COVID-19 Emergency Task Force (ETF), one that he formed and makes sure first responders have PPEs and the support they need as they work the front lines keeping us safe.

 

Local College Transformed into Outpatient Facility for Covid Patients

 

When the Covid-19 crisis hit, communities all across Long Island have come together to help - whether it’s food drives, artists spreading messages of hope, or the mobilization of doctors and nurses to treat affected patients directly, the need was quickly assessed and many responded to the call. In Nassau County, the community recognized this need and organized to raise donations and outfit the grounds of a vacant college to provide extra space for care in the event it was needed.

 

Holbrook Restaurant Donates Hot Food for Medical Workers

 

John Kouminas, owner of Karvers Grille in Holbrook, knew that he had to lend a helping hand during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With frontline medical staff working in strenuous and dangerous conditions Kouminas decided that it was important that people stick together and lend a helping hand wherever they could.

 

Charity Shifts Online to Continue Serving Seriously Ill Kids

 

Amityville-based KiDS NEED MoRE is a non-profit that has provided children who are going through a serious illness or trauma along with their families a place to go where they can forget about their troubles for a while and have fun. Every summer they host camps either right here on Long Island or in Upstate New York. But, like many other organizations and local companies they’re finding coronavirus upending their usual way of doing business and have had to adapt.

 

Urgent Need For Blood Donors as Drives Cancelled Across Long Island

 

New York Blood Center (NYBC), an independent, community-based, nonprofit blood center, has alerted partners that it has canceled all remote location blood drives through April 30, causing many scheduled blood drives across the Island to be postponed. In a statement, Dr. Christopher D. Hillyer, President and CEO of NYBC said they are extending open hours at donor centers and requests that healthy donors make appointments to help maintain the region’s blood supply.

 

Stony Brook Hospital Celebrates Coronavirus Victories with Songs and Chimes

 

When a patient is discharged from Stony Brook Hospital strains of “Here Comes the Sun” is one of the last things they hear as they leave. In fact, to make sure the little victory over the pandemic is shared with everyone, the hospital plays a few bars of the song over its speaker system so staff and patients all know about it. If a COVID patient is extubated - meaning they are taken off a respirator - the hospital plays a wind chime, like a symbol of that first unassisted breath.