Long Island Giving Help Together For Charity is my column where I shine a light on a different Long Island-based charity each month.
For this column, I focus on General Needs. General Needs is a not-for-profit organization that supports veterans on Long Island through the support of families and friends.
General Needs was founded in 2008 by Lonnie Sherman as a “hot meal” service at the Northport VA Medical Center. The organization has quickly expanded to assist veterans throughout the year with basic necessities, such as toiletries, seasonally appropriate clothing, footwear, and more.
Since 2008, General Needs has helped veterans by providing direct distributions, beds and welcome home kits, clothing, student volunteer programs, ‘Thank You For Your Service’ cards and ‘You Matter’ blankets.
One of the charity’s meaningful initiatives is the General Needs Dental Project. General Needs launched this program because many veterans are not eligible to receive dental benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”).
Many veterans, therefore, are stuck with poor dental care, which results in untreated cavities, pain, and potential tooth loss. General Needs helps veterans from their initial dental exam all the way through extractions and denture fittings. This can be life-changing for veterans who otherwise cannot eat, talk, or even smile without pain or embarrassment.
General Needs also hosts corporate volunteer days, where local businesses are offered the opportunity to help count, pack, sort and organize goods at General Needs’ warehouse. These events are both productive and fun, where people work together to exercise their team-building skills while positively impacting veterans in need.
This support is vital to sustaining General Needs’ growth and continued assistance to local veterans.
General Needs administers a program where children write ‘Thank You For Your Service’ cards that get included in each donation that General Needs makes to a veteran. The veterans cherish these cards. \
General Needs also collaborates with various knitting and crochet guilds to create and distribute beautiful ‘You Matter’ blankets to veterans throughout the year.
You can support General Needs in various ways. General Needs is in need of seasonally appropriate clothing, underwear, socks, t-shirts, towels, washcloths and toiletries, with all donations being distributed to veterans in shelters.
General Needs also collects and donates home goods, such as full-sized beds, toaster ovens, microwaves, coffee makers, dishes, glasses, flatware, pots and pans, frying pans, and other kitchen supplies. Additionally, throughout the school year on Wednesdays,
General Needs hosts classes of special needs students from Commack High School to assist with counting, sorting, and packing donation items.
You can also support General Needs by donating your time or money, helping to create a better future for our local veterans in each case. For more information on you can help, you can visit the charity’s website at https://generalneeds.org/.
Kayla Donnenfeld is a senior at Roslyn High School.
