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In early June, twin brothers, Siddharth and Shaurya, also affectionately known as the “SnS Bros,” were turning 10 years old, or as they called it, their “first double digits.” As many other children during the Covid-19 crisis, they were going to celebrate their birthday in quarantine, and were not sure how to do it. With the help of their parents, they decided that instead of a grand celebration, they would ask their friends, family and school community for their blessings and help.

In a Facebook post on their father’s page, the brothers created an enthusiastic video requesting donations of non-perishable food in their honor for three different organizations that feed the hungry, including The INN. In addition to over 40 bags and bottles of canned goods, pasta, snacks, juice and other essentials they collected, their Facebook video, thanks to an easy donation button attached, raised $631 for The INN! The boys and their parents, with gloves and big smiles behind their masks, delivered the donated food directly to the Mary Brennan INN soup kitchen on the day of their 10^th birthday.

Jigar, the boy’s mother, was grateful to The INN. “Thank you so much for accepting our donations and helping us make our boys understand their civic responsibility,” she sent us in a heartfelt message. We thank the parents for raising wonderful children who understand how important it is to #GetINNvolved in your community. Happy Birthday!

To see the birthday boys’ original video on Facebook, click here

For the second year in a row, Jessica Pimentel, aka “Maria Ruiz” from the award-winning Netflix original series Orange is the New Black (OITNB), was on the phones with all smiles making trades in support of The INN for Cantor Fitzgerald’s annual 9/11 Charity Day. On Wednesday, September 11th, she visited two Cantor affiliate offices, GFI Group and BCG Partners, and spoke to real clients to carry out trades with help from their in-house brokers. In between chats with fellow celebrities, including Dr. Ruth Westheimer, she even took a few moments to sign INN and OITNB merchandise to be raffled and auctioned off at upcoming INN fundraising events.  

Charity Day is held every year in memory of the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald and 64 Eurobrokers employees who were lost in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. 100% of all global revenues on Charity Day are donated to the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund and dozens of charities around the world. In 2018, Jessica’s efforts in support of The INN raised $15,000 for our charity. We are thrilled to see the results from 2019!

11-year-old James and his family really wanted to Get INNvolved and help their community members in need. Last Christmas, the family went to NYC during the winter and handed out gloves and hats to homeless people living on the street. James’ mother JaneEllen said, “James was so touched by this and wanted to do more. So they planned for a day where all his friends would come for a fun “Kids Give Back” party. They were all asked to bring a gift card as a donation.  23 boys attended the party. After a fun day of playing basketball, hockey and football, all decked out in INN t-shirts (purchased by James’ mom and dad), the give back party collected over $800 in gift cards!

It wasn’t James’ birthday or a special occasion. After the event, JaneEllen shared with us, “James was so happy he could make his friends aware of
The INN and the ways they could help others. He hopes that they helped other kids and families and made them happy.”

Great job James! The gift cards will be used to purchase specific items that guests living in INN shelters and visiting the Mary Brennan INN soup kitchen need the most.

*Names have been changed to protect guests’ privacy

Jean C. Victor, Jr. Manager, Mary Brennan INN

The look on Jean Victor’s face said it all. Dropped jaw, wide eyes with a glisten of moisture. In the 16 years he had been working with guests managing the operations of the Mary Brennan INN soup kitchen in various capacities, rarely does one return quite so triumphantly, but with a humble strength.

Erin* was about 12 years old when she started coming to the soup kitchen for a regular hot meal. Her parents and five siblings were frequent visitors, and the children got to know the staff quite well, mostly over the summer when school was out and free breakfast and lunch programs ended. Now 23 years old, Erin, a law student came back to the soup kitchen with her fellow group of young professionals to donate food from a drive they organized after hearing her story of the struggle she experienced growing up. The group was so moved by the idea of Erin’s success through adversity that they decided to adopt The INN as their charity of choice.

Main dining room at the Mary Brennan INN

As for Erin, as she quietly took a tour of the facility from a vastly different perspective than she remembered, her facial expression was one of shock. She described her experience of literally being on the other side of the counter as “surreal,” but didn’t want to share much more. That’s ok. The INN’s philosophy of serving hungry and homeless Long Islanders with dignity, respect and love is practiced with great care. When she saw Jean Victor and remembered him from her childhood days she told him, “I was hoping you would be here,” and they embraced. Few words were spoken, but it was clear that Jean was thrilled to see how far she had come. “I was speechless,” Jean said. “I recognized her right away, but she’s all grown up now. It’s so impressive that not only is she a successful young adult, but she found the strength to return and give back to a place that helped her and her family through some tough times. I’m so glad she came back and let me know she was doing well.”    

Donald Axinn INN men’s shelter Program Manager Ty Hopkins shares a touching story about a young man who begins to make a change in his life just by cleaning his room.

Guests at the Donald Axinn INN men’s shelter (DAI) are extremely happy and adjusting to the community atmosphere we are promoting at the shelter. Every day we see evidence of the men supporting, encouraging and helping each other in many ways.

A young guest of DAI came to us facing numerous challenges that plagued his life and caused him to become homeless. He was young and struggling financially, had a criminal history, gang affiliation and had not much education. However, what he did have was a willingness to change and “HOPE.”  At our initial meeting, he described his life as problematic and like many young people he did not know why his life was in such a bad way or how to make a change. We talked a while longer and I assured him he could change the direction of his life if he chooses, but it would take work and the patience to stay the course. He stated he was willing to do the work. Over the next several weeks the young DAI guest had many ups and downs while on his journey.  One of the main issues he faced was that he could not keep his room clean. He received multiple infractions for his room not meeting DAI standards. No matter how much assistance and encouragement he received from DAI staff, he just kept leaving his room unkempt.

One day while doing my rounds, I walked past his room and the door was wide open. Our young guest was standing next to his bed with a wide smile. To my astonishment his room was spotless and he was excited to show me the work he had done. I immediately called our Assistant Progam Manager, Mr. Waring, to see the young man’s room, at which point we all hugged and celebrated this achievement. Often we miss the little victories in life that make all the difference. It’s hard to see them because of all the difficulties. With joy in our hearts, we listened as he explained that he had help learning how to make his bed and organized his belongings from an older guest that had taken the time to work with him and mentor him. To me, this is the true beauty of this story. Someone with nothing still has the heart to give of himself to others, and that has made all the difference to another. The young guest is a different person today because of his short experience at DAI. I pray that he will take this experience and share what he has learned with another.  

Donald Axinn INN Emergency Shelter (DAI)

Clean room at the Donald Axinn INN