West Hempstead's Katherine Corbett preaches Kwanzaa principles year-round at New Life Christian Center

Kwanzaa may come but once a year, but to Katherine Corbett, its principles are to live by year-round.

The pastor and founder of the nondenominational New Life Christian Center in Hempstead serves her community not just during her Sunday service, and not just every other Saturday, when the center’s food pantry feeds more than 300 families. 

Corbett continues to serve daily through routine advocacy efforts with government officials and everyday interactions with young members of her community, steering them toward alumni connections and scholarship opportunities for higher education success.

Last week, the Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs hosted a Kwanzaa celebration, during which Corbett was recognized as one of seven honorees across professions and organizations who each embody a principle of Kwanzaa — unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Corbett and her fellow honorees are leaders and "unsung heroes" in their communities, said Anissa Moore, the deputy county executive for health and human services.

"I think people miss Kwanzaa if they just make it a cultural event," Corbett, 75, of West Hempstead, said at her church on Friday, where toys were stockpiled to be discreetly distributed to parents, who would wrap and gift them to their children. "It's about addressing your lifestyle so that you can be a productive person, so you can be the change that your community needs."

While working in the New York City public school system as a teacher, then a principal, and then as a trainer of teachers and administrators, Corbett said she founded the New Life Christian Center in 1988 and opened its food pantry more than 20 years ago.

The center works with Long Island Cares and local businesses to acquire food, but sometimes there wasn't enough. Courtney Husbands, one of the food pantry’s co-directors for more than a decade, recalled how in one instance, he worried the pantry would run out before every family picked up, so he called Corbett.

"That woman got out of her bed and came with her checkbook and sat there" ready to buy more groceries with her own money if necessary, he said.

"I’ve never met a lady like her," Husbands added. "She’s always giving and she doesn’t ask for anything in return. She would give the last dime in her pocket to make sure everybody is taken care of."

The church also serves as a hub for small-business leaders and organizations seeking help with financial resources. Earlier this year, the Nassau Office of Minority Affairs hosted a grant writing workshop at Corbett’s church. More than 50 people from other religious centers and nonprofits attended, according to Lionel Chitty, executive director of the minority affairs office.

He said building relationships with leaders like Corbett is essential for reaching historically underserved communities.

"We see that there have been holes in the community as far as being able to respond for grants," Chitty said. "When things pop up, a lot of communities of color don’t know about them. And with some grants that have gone out … we got feedback that people had challenges filling [the applications] out."

Every other month, Corbett and other faith leaders on Long Island meet with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to discuss the needs of their congregations, according to Moore. During these meetings, she said Corbett, who she described as a "leader" who "loves people," raised concerns regarding formerly incarcerated nonviolent offenders' inability to find work.

Moore said Corbett’s advocacy inspired the county to partner with Rebound on the Road, the nonprofit of former New Jersey Nets player Jayson Williams that helps formerly incarcerated nonviolent offenders and people in recovery acquire a commercial driver's  license.

The eight-week program, which will be hosted at Nassau Community College next year, can serve as a pipeline for residents to work for the county’s public works department.

"We felt this was a win-win for the county as well as the community," Moore said. "When people are able to work, now they can lead productive lives."

When they are ready for a job interview, Corbett has men’s suits in the church. She said she will even help them present themselves during a remote interview.

"We have to take that time to do that work," Corbett said. "That’s what the church is supposed to do."