Lukas and the Gerald Ryan Outreach Programs
Written by Mike Rubinowitz
Lukas Rubinowitz is a seventeen-year-old high school senior from Long Island, New York. He lives in an affluent neighborhood and grew up in a house with multiple refrigerators and freezers.
His mom made delicious meals for Luke and his family almost every night of the week and, when mom didn’t cook, the family went out to eat at local restaurants. The very idea of a food pantry that provides emergency meals to hungry kids his age just one town away from his was inconceivable to Luke. But that food pantry exists – and seeing it firsthand changed the way Luke sees the world.
When Luke was ten years old, he went with his parents and older brothers to the Gerald Ryan Outreach Center’s food pantry for the first time. It was a few days before Thanksgiving and the purpose of the trip was to pack up Thanksgiving meals that would be distributed to families that would otherwise not have a Thanksgiving meal at all. This was the first time that Luke saw the food pantry (and people in need of assistance). What had previously been inconceivable to him had suddenly become a stark reality.
Since that first visit to the food pantry many years ago, Luke has continuously volunteered his time to help out at the outreach center. He has spent his summers working as a counselor at the outreach summer camp. He has given his time to the Outreach center and the outreach center has given something to him – a sense of compassion for his neighbors who are less fortunate than he is.
The Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center’s food pantry provides emergency food assistance to those in need in Wyandanch and its neighboring communities on Long Island. It is one of the largest food pantries of its kind on Long Island – providing assistance to an average of 15,000 men, women and children annually. The Outreach Center transforms the lives of families, individuals and children who are struggling to break the cycle of poverty by providing food, clothing, education and employment opportunities for those in crisis.
To volunteer or donate to the Gerald Ryan Outreach programs please call 631 643-7591 or email them at ryanoutreach@optonline.net