Less talk, more action - Discussion and Thoughts 2009

“Less talk, more action”. Each experience that I’ve shared with LIFNB over the past year has renewed this adage for me.

From the day in June 2009 when I first participated with LIFNB and Hempstead community members to improve the quality of their living space by planting sunflowers in Mirchell Park, I could sense this group’s unique potential to positively impact Long Island.

Since that day, this growing collective of dedicated Long Islanders keep proving this to be true. Every week (come rain or snow) healthy food donations and other necessities are collected and shared at Hempstead, Huntington and Farmingville locations. In addition to these regular food shares LIFNB has hosted community festivals, celebrated and shared holiday dishes and clothing with LI communities during the week of Thanksgiving, braved freezing temps and unplowed snowy roads to bring toys to children during the December holidays and more.

In a time of economic and political frustration/uncertainty for many, every individual and family involved with LIFNB has renewed my faith in the power of grassroots action to truly initiate/impact change for the better.

In becoming a nonprofit organization, LIFNB will have a greater ability to continue to fulfill this goal. My hope is that we will continue to help unite our fellow Long Islanders to meet our needs in innovative ways. To do this, many deep-seated problems such as the lack of affordable housing, jobs and healthcare as well as discrimination need to be addressed and resolved. These issues are important to all Long Islanders, because what affects one of us impacts all of us and no one can fix things alone. Let’s roll . . .

~Kristen Longo