Local families in need will have Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of safe-boating group and Riverside church

With the holiday season upon us, many local families struggle to make ends meet and be able to afford the holiday festivities and gifts. But thanks to Peconic Bay Power Squadron and Truth Community Church, Southampton Head Start children and families will have a full table this Thanksgiving.

Dozens of turkeys, gravy, and all the fixings and side dishes were collected at the Peconic Bay Power Squadron monthly meeting last week. The PBPS is a unit of the United States Power Squadrons dedicated to safe boating through education.

“This donation is important to our kids,” director of Southampton Head Start Karen Gibson said. “Now they will not only be getting a nutritious meal at school, but also one at home for a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.”

Peconic Bay Power Squadron past commander and chaplain Diane Sherman contacted Truth Community Church Pastor Keith Indovino and told him that the squadron had chosen the church to be the recipients of their holiday food drive and asked them to help identify families in need.

“The first organization that came to my mind [for donations] was Southampton Head Start,” Indovino said. “Truth Community Church was one of the organizations that recently donated to help with school supply needs, and I knew that many of the families of Head Start could benefit from receiving food donations during the holidays.”

Long Island Head Start, a community-based non-profit organization, is a free, comprehensive program funded through a federal grant that provides early childhood education for children under five years old, as well as promoting health and family well-being. It currently serves about 2,000 children and families with income at or below the federal poverty level. The organization operates out of 24 centers across Long Island, from Amityville in the west to Southold and Bridgehampton on the East End.

The Southampton and Riverhead centers have 104 children each.

However, funding is an issue that is not clear-cut or guaranteed. By law, the federal share of the total costs of the Head Start program cannot exceed 80 percent of the total grantee budget, meaning that the remaining 20 percent has to be raised by each center through donations or similar funding – or they could lose their federal grant.

The federal poverty level for a family of four is currently set at $26,400, an amount that makes it exceedingly difficult for families to pay for basic necessities, such as food and heating, let alone private child care.

“Our children come from very low income families and receiving donations for the holidays will only benefit them and make a huge difference,” Gibson said.

Gibson said this is the only donation that Southampton Head Start has received so far for the holidays.

“Donations for our Riverhead Head Start kids would also be welcome,” she said.