Nonprofit delivered holiday gifts to families in need

Options for Community Living, a Ronkonkoma-based nonprofit, delivered holiday gifts to Long Island families in need.

Each year, Options for Community Living organizes a holiday assistance program where case managers identify families and help them create wish lists. The lists are then matched with community volunteers and local businesses interested in providing a magical holiday season for the families. Gifts are purchased, wrapped, and then returned to Options for distribution.

This past season, 109 families in Options’ programs received holiday assistance.

“Long Islanders are incredibly generous. We started talking to our past supporters in September and by early November all of our families were adopted,” Jessica Klein, Options marketing and development specialist, said in an organization statement. “The success of this program is truly a community effort. It would not be possible without the help of local businesses, individual volunteers, and our employees who make it happen.”

Among the organizations supporting the effort were Teachers Federal Credit Union, Kedrion Biopharma, Forchelli Deegan Terrana, several teams from Stony Brook University, and Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

“We are so happy to support and participate in this wonderful program,” Katie Bielawski, senior manager of Charitable Giving and Events at Bethpage Federal Credit Union, said in the statement. “We are looking forward to another great partnership year in 2023.”