Long Island soup kitchens pressed to survive a pandemic holiday season

In the basement of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wyandanch, soup kitchen volunteers only take orders from the hungry through plastic plexiglass.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the holiday season meant workers at the church's Mercy Soup Kitchen and the people coming in for food engaging in close-up conversations.

Friday and Saturday, Christmas Day, a dozen or so volunteers — a reduced staff to maintain social distancing — will serve to-go lunches from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the 20th Street soup kitchen.

"The guests are so grateful" for the meals, said Vito Colletti of Babylon, who started as a volunteer in 2006 and now works as the president of the nonprofit, which prepares about 80 meals a day.

'"We try to help as many people as possible," Colletti said.

Some Long Island soup kitchens have either closed or struggled to stay open during the pandemic. Others, like Mercy, a 41-year organization, transitioned to giving out to-go meals instead of offering sit down dining, previously known as "social hour," said administrator Michael ‘Chef Mike’ Quarlena of Farmingdale, a volunteer since 2015.

The COVID-19 pandemic has all but eliminated interactions between volunteers and the people they serve beyond hellos and waves, but despite the social limitations, said Maureen Kelly, a seven-year volunteer, "we do good work here."

"We’re able to feed people during this time," said Kelly, a retired nurse from West Babylon, who stood at the door and took meal orders from people who came down the basement stairs.

Long Island’s largest soup kitchen, the Hempstead-based Mary Brennan INN, will close on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day due to restrictions as a result of COVID-19, said Jean Kelly, executive director of the INN. In preparation for the closure, the INN has given out extra meals for the next two days, Kelly said.

"Over 1,000 families received all the holiday food they needed in November, plus food and toys in December, in the hopes that next year we are able to have the doors open for Christmas Day in 2022," Kelly said in a statement.

Long Island Cares CEO Paule Pachter said while locations in Nassau and Suffolk county will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, during the last month and a half they’ve increased the distribution of ready-to-eat meals at their locations.

"It’s always heartbreaking for us to know that there are so many families and children out there that are struggling," Pachter said. "We also understand the limitations of emergency food networks on Long Island."

While Mercy Soup Kitchen is open Monday through Friday, about a dozen volunteers with the church will fill the void on Saturday and offer meals.

Among those volunteering is Jackie DeVille, who was raised in Wyandanch, and is the church’s council president.

"The mission remains the same in that there are people out there in need … so it doesn’t matter whether it’s Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, or anything," said DeVille of Queens, who has helped coordinate served meals for five years.

Kathy Gambill, a volunteer of nearly eight years with the church, said local community organizations rotate donating meals. This Saturday, Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Fort Salonga will help provide up to 100 meals of ham, macaroni and cheese, string beans, rolls and dessert, Gambill said.

"It is a holiday," said Gambill, who met her now-husband while volunteering in the church. "To me, it’s just a Saturday that we go in and prepare food for our neighbors in need."