Posted on October 22, 2014 by Jacquelyn Simone Every single night of the year, the dedicated volunteers of the Grand Central Food Program (GCFP) help the Coalition serve 1,000 hot, nutritious meals to our homeless neighbors on the streets of NYC. But at our Volunteer Appreciation Party on Friday, October 10, we were happy to show our thanks by serving them dinner. “Volunteers are the lifeline of our program,” said GCFP director Juan De La Cruz. “Without them, we couldn’t deliver the meals. And, they bring such positive energy to the program and to the clients we serve.” Each of our more than 150 volunteers – from preteens to septuagenarians – generally dedicates one evening per week to the program, driving our three GCFP vans throughout the city to distribute food, blankets and other necessities to homeless and hungry New Yorkers. The semiannual party at St. Bartholomew’s Church (the first distribution site each night) is a chance for all of these compassionate and caring volunteers to meet and get to know one another. The party’s joy was infectious. The person we hired to simply set up the karaoke machine was so touched by the volunteers’ generosity and the Coalition’s mission that he ended up staying to DJ the entire event. As the party warmed up, St. Bart’s filled with singing and laughter. The evening wasn’t all karaoke. “There was fun and music, but volunteers – being the thoughtful people they are – also had a lot of discussion about the program,” Juan noted. “They were talking about the clients we serve and how we could do more to help them.” In fact, Juan had offered to find substitutes so that the Friday night volunteer teams could attend the party, but they – predictably – refused to miss their shift. They hopped in the vans as they do every Friday evening, joining the party only after they had made sure all 1,000 meals were handed out to the men, women and kids waiting at the GCFP’s 23 stops around Manhattan and the Bronx. “Our volunteers are all so loyal,” Juan said. “I know I can count on them, and more importantly, the people trying to make it another night on the streets can count on them.” GCFP relies on private donations and corporate sponsors to pay for all the food and van costs. To learn how to help keep this critical program going, click here.
