Great South Bay YMCA Helps Local Families During Pandemic

Press release from Great South Bay YMCA:

Jan. 17, 2021

Every holiday season, the Great South Bay YMCA orchestrates their Adopt-A-Family initiative to provide support to local families in need. But in early December 2020 as COVID-19 cases surged and unemployment rates reached record-breaking highs, countless local families grew more concerned with their daily living expenses rather than fulfilling their traditional rituals of holiday dinner and gift exchanges. The “spirit of giving” became a touchstone in the early months of the pandemic and the Great South Bay YMCA tapped into their nearly thirty years of fundraising for the Y’s cause-driven mission, the dedication of their leadership team, and the generosity of its community to plan their efforts in new and different ways knowing this year would be like no other.

To commence the Adopt-A-Family initiative, the Great South Bay YMCA identified local families in need, in collaboration with the school districts they serve for Before & After School programs, volunteer leaders, Y staff and members, and corporate and foundation partners to raise funds for the holiday giving season. A portion of the financial donations made to the YMCA Annual Campaign allowed the Y to do holiday shopping to provide gifts and food on the “wish list” to children and parents alike, wrap the gifts, and deliver to the families.

Some generous donors also opted to do their own shopping and deliver wrapped gifts or gift cards to the Y for distribution.

“The Y is able to work directly with low-income families in our community to identify the families’ specific needs and wants. We gather information on the children; their interests, clothing sizes, and wishes for holiday gifts. We learn what the parents or guardians’ needs are such as helping with their rent or putting food on the table for dinner”, says Bob Pettersen, Executive Director at the Great South Bay YMCA. He adds, “We try and give the kids something special for Christmas morning and give support to parents who under such stress during the holidays. They want to give their children the best but are so overwhelmed with bills and other various challenges. In 2020, the need to help our neighbors was simply greater than ever.”

More than $42,000 was raised in December alone through the Great South Bay YMCA’s Annual Campaign to adopt twenty local families for this holiday season, and provide families with access to Y programs and services through scholarships. Twenty-five children received special gifts under the tree and their parents received much needed relief. With coronavirus upending life, the Great South Bay Y focused on providing relief for children of essential workers, families with children who were remote learning, and families experiencing tremendous financial hardships. In addition to the gift cards, wrapped donated toys, and food relief, the Y donated Chromebooks to families who did not have the resources needed for their children in a virtual learning environment due to the pandemic.

A recipient of the Adopt-A-Family initiative said, “I just needed a break. Life has been so hard this year with COVID. I can’t keep up. These generous gifts brought me relief, and more importantly, joy to my children, because they really needed it this year. I can’t thank the Y enough for all the work being done to help us.”

Like individuals, businesses and non-profits across Long Island have been greatly impacted by the crisis, yet the Y’s mission of nurturing youth development, fostering healthy living, and inspiring social responsibility have pulled at the heartstrings of the Great South Bay YMCA’s committed volunteer leaders, partners and donors more than ever. “With funds raised through the Annual Campaign, the Y can provide diverse, life-enriching programs to all, regardless of financial limitation”, says Donna Bondy, Great South Bay YMCA’s Annual Campaign Chairperson. She adds, “At the local level, it all happens thanks to a community of people who look past themselves in support of the greater good. Donors continue to trust the Y to be good stewards of their gifts and many people in the community become donors to the Y as a result of being a past recipient or in appreciation of the Y’s impact.”

With fundraising being a critical lifeline needed to help the YMCA stay afloat, donors and partners of the Y worked even harder this year to keep the momentum going for months when donor fatigue would historically be setting in. Local businesses, like the Bondy family-owned Sir Speedy in Bay Shore, donated resources to help the Great South Bay YMCA reach further into the community through their networks to ensure the Y could remain a beacon of hope
even during a life-altering pandemic. The Great South Bay YMCA 2020 Annual Campaign and the Adopt-A-Family initiative were made possible by partners such as the Bondy Family and Sir Speedy Bay Shore, LIAM Foundation, Ganzi Family Foundation, Sacco Foundation, Bay Shore Lions Club, Newins Ford, The Kussmail Foundation, Harbour Club and many others that contributed to these efforts.

Mrs. Bondy leaves us all with inspiration after a difficult year. Bondy says the silver lining is, “The Y’s work comes to life through the stories real people tell. Stories that have the power to lift us all up. I continue to be in awe of this, of the amazing staff and volunteers, and of the capacity of the Annual Campaign to do so much good. Find a group of genuine people who challenge and inspire you, and spend a lot of time with them because it will change your life.” For ways to contribute to the Great South Bay YMCA, please visit YMCALI.org or call (631) 665-4255.

This press release was produced by Great South Bay YMCA. The views expressed here are the author's own.