Lower Manhattan newsletter excerpt, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document LENDING A HELPING HAND FOUR YEARS AGO, when chef Henry Meer opened City Hall on Duane Street, his second downtown restaurant, he was determined to find a way to give back to the city that he is so passionate about. With Christmas coming, he discovered the perfect opportunity and teamed up with the City's Department of Homeless Services to establish a tradition for a festive Christmas Eve supper. Through the Department's Office of Special Services, arrangements were made for over three hundred people to attend, two hundred of them children. Coming from nearly a dozen homeless shelters throughout the City. the attendees enjoy a classic, three-course Christmas dinner, from luscious butternut squash soup to melt-in-your-mouth apple cobbler. Meer didn't have to look far for other volunteers to join the effort. His kitchen staff, waiters and waitresses don their toques and aprons, sans paychecks, to work that day, as do many of Meer's regular customers, including City Hall politicians, judges, lawyers and Wall Street CEOs. Volunteers bus tables, fill water glasses or lend a hand to small children to unwrap gifts. Indeed, gifts inadvertently became a part of the tradition, too, although they weren't in the original blueprint. "I don't know how it happened," muses Meer, "but the first year a group of the Brooklyn Hogs [a motorcycle club] pulled up front, literally bearing gifts for the kids." The bikers distributed presents, and now, they also have become regular volunteers, conducting a toy drive and bringing gifts for everyone. The goodies are distributed by the event's Santa, Bob Harris, who is no stranger to vol- unteerism. When Harris retired from the Transit Police, he traded in his shield for a guide- book. He volunteered at Big Apple Greeters, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to match City visitors with knowledgeable, enthusiastic New Yorkers. Since the attack on the World Trade Center, volunteering has taken on new significance for people and has attracted many fresh faces. "After 9/11, we had a huge increase in volun- teerism, comments Jessica Tynan, the Volunteer Coordinator of the Hamilton-Madison House, a social services agency and settlement house with seventeen sites in Lower Manhattan. "Fortunately, that number of volunteers has remained high." Most people feel the urge to volunteer more strongly at holiday time, but the need exists year round. Meg McConnell, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a longtime downtown volunteer with the Coalition for the Homeless, says, "There aren't more people in need at holiday time, we're just more aware of the need. We are more motivated to do something, perhaps because we look inward more" Many facilities rely heavily on volunteers during the holiday season when extra activities drain manpower. A few of the organizations that will need a helping hand in Lower Manhattan are listed at right. Of course, other volunteer opportunities abound, and anyone wanting to help out should call local branches of charities. churches. synagogues, homeless shelters and soup kitchens to find out what their specific needs are during the holidays. For general volunteer opportunities, www.volunteermatch.org is also a source. As for City Hall's Christmas Eve feast, Meer invites anyone who wants to be involved in the event to call (212) 227-7777. L.. WHERE TO VOLUNTEER THE LOWER EAST SIDE GIRLS CLUB The Lower East Side Girls Club needs volunteers for its December 14 holiday crafts fair, from 11:00 am. to 3:00 p.m. Call (212) 982-1633 THE ALFRED E. SMITH RECREATION CENTER The Alfred E Smith Resreation Center can use help December 1i, from 9.00 a.m to 8:00 p.m, to wrap gifts; December 12, from 7.00 sam to 8:00 p.m., to distribute gifts, December 23, from 8:30 am to 4:00 p.m, to assist with set up, moritoring and scorekeeping for the center's chess toumament. Call (212) 285-0300. MARINERS TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH Volunteers are needed at the MarinersTemple Baptist Church from December 19-23 lo wrap presents, prepare decorations and package food, Call (212) 283-0423. THE FEDERATION OF PROTESTANT WELFARE AGENCIES The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies has fifty-four member sites in Lower Manhattan, including day care facilities, senior senters and shelters. Volunteers are needed to deliver and/or serve meals at a variety of sites. Additionally, hands are needed december 19,20 and 23 to surt and bagtoys. Call (212) 177-4800 x332, NEW YORK CARES New York Cares provides three links on its website to volunteer opportunities during the holidays. Goto www.nycares.org and look fur the links on the riglhit-hand side, which are markeds Help with the Recovery Effort "Secret Santa" and "Heln During the Holldays" City Harvest has countless opportunities for volunteers during what it calls its harvest season," including helping with food drives and join- ing its "'street fleet" Call (910) 351-8700 or (212) 228-5000. CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF BROOKLYN AND QUEENS Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens alsn conducts a major toy drive for the holidays and distributes toys from four centers The Brooklyn West Family Centeris one train stap from the WTC site and is home to many familles affected by the tragedy. They are in need of volunteers during the week of December 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 pm, to surt, wrap and distribute gifts. Call (718) 722-8008 KIDSFORCOMMUNITY Countless volunteer opportunities are available for children af Kids for Community, Check out their website at www.kidsfarcommunity.org. On the neighborhood drop-down menu, plug in Sotto/TriBeCa to see pages of results for one-time volunteer johs or on-going volunteer opportuntes, all geared especially for children. For more volunteer oppurtunities in Lower Marhattan, please visit our wehsite af www.lowermanhattan.info. PRINTED IN LOWER MANHATTAN BY VISUAL PRINT SOLUTIONS NYC-WTC_000143178