“I work to feed my family; I volunteer to feed my soul.”
On a humid Saturday morning in July, Scott Passik said these words sitting outside King Kullen in Bethpage. He had been in Patchogue earlier that morning, volunteering with the Long Island Cares Summer Feeding Program. However, he stopped by a Bethpage food drive in the middle of the day to meet with Long Island Cares and discuss his involvement with the organization the past 4 years.
He sat at a folding table set up at the entrance of King Kullen. Volunteers milled around, collecting donations and making conversation with the shoppers who came through to do their Saturday grocery shopping. The sun blazed overhead. People periodically came to the table to drop a few dollars in our donation bucket. One man paused as he left the grocery store, shuffling through his freshly-purchased groceries and pulling out a box of cookies from his bag for a food donation.
Scott said often when it comes to charity, “the giver gets more from it than the receiver.”
“I work to feed my family,” he continued. “I volunteer to feed my soul.”
Volunteering gives Scott the chance to step back from the daily grind and enjoy the slower pace of life. He began volunteering in 2012, just after Hurricane Sandy brought havoc to Long Island. He had always been a fan of Harry Chapin, but when the storm increased the need among communities, it gave Scott the chance to become involved.
This summer, is his fourth in a row volunteering in Patchogue with the Summer Feeding Program.
“There’s something inspiring about surrounding yourself with people who push you to be better,” he said as parting words. “You do a little, get a little, and maybe level yourself up in the process.”
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