Once again, Flanders and Greenport will be home to Hope Day, a free, open-to-everyone yearly festival hosted by a partnership of churches, local businesses and residents that will provide dozens of services for the community—from groceries and lunch, to health services, clothing, kids activities and more.
“We recognize the need to help people in our community,” said Pastor Keith Indovino of Truth Community Church, where the Flanders event will be hosted. “It creates a sense of unity, we want people to know there are great local organizations they can count on, and that they are loved.”
The idea behind this movement, said Indovino, is to have a day where people can come together and help each other and feel supported.
“There are certain basic needs we are all entitled to, physical and emotional” he said. “Food, clothing, love and more.”
Some of the free services and activities that will be available to visitors include: 500 hot lunches — double of what they provided last year— non-invasive medical screenings, 200 bags of free groceries, 60 pairs of new Columbia sneakers for children, clothing, a kids area with games, a bounce house, face painting, a rock wall, an obstacle course, craft and tattoo stations, a free auction-style raffle with 20 different prizes—each guest will get a coupon for free when they arrive — and gift baskets such as Panera Bread for a year and Applebee’s gift certificates, among others.
“We will not require any type of I.D., we want people to come and join us without requirements,” Indovino said.
He also said that the festival looks to connect people to all the resources that exist locally so they “can get people what they need going forward, not only at the time of the event.”
Something that organizing churches—Truth Community Church in Flanders partnered with Center Moriches Harbor Church and Hampton Bays Assembly of God—have taken into consideration by collaborating with different local community organizations and private individuals who are not only sponsoring the event through donations or volunteering their time, but also educating the community regarding the resources available.
Among those, the Southampton Youth Bureau, the Riverhead Free Library, the Flanders Fire Department, Southampton Head Start, Riverside Rediscovered, the Flanders, Riverside, Northampton Community Association and others, will be present at the event to assist the more than 500 people expected, and to explain what they offer. Peconic Bay Medical Center and HRHCare will be performing blood pressure tests and other non-invasive medical screenings.
“This event wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers and donors, it’s only by coming together that we can make something like this happen,” Indovino said.
Truth Community Church received several donations to fund the festival— from church funds allocated for this event specifically, to local individual contributions, as well as donations from organizations like Riverside Rediscovered. They also received a Southampton Town Human Services grant this year, Indovino said.
“When we partner with our community, with our civic associations, with our elected officials and the church, the impact we can make in a community is tremendous. We can transform our communities for good,” said Hope Day Network Coordinator Michael Taormina, a Shoreham resident who has been a part of the movement since its inception.
Hope Day was started in Uniondale in 2012 when pastor Steven Milazzo of Bethlehem Assembly of God and others partnered with Convoy of Hope, an international non-profit organization that provides food and resources to disaster areas in the U.S. and around the world, with the goal of bringing food and other services to people in need in Nassau County.
However Hope Day organizers found that it was more effective and more rewarding to break up the event into smaller events, where the help would reach each individual community better and “remain resourceful, relevant, and relational in their community,” according to the official website.
The event will be taking place simultaneously at 22 church sites across Long Island, New York and New Jersey on Saturday June 2, but each festival will be unique and specific to each location.
“Ultimately at the end of the day, our hope and prayer is that churches are more united in their effort, more effective in their community and people are experiencing more of the love of God.”
Hope Day will be held at the grounds of Truth Community Church located at 46 Bell Avenue in Flanders from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. This is a rain or shine event, Indovino said.
“Everything will be available until supplies last,” Indovino said. “People showed up to half hour before the event started last year.”
The Greenport event is organized by True Light Church in Cutchogue and held at 180 Moores Ln, Greenport ( Polo Grounds, the same spot as the yearly carnival.)
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