Reaching-Out Community Services receives $10,000 from Northfield Bank

BENSONHURST — Reaching-Out Community Services has been doing good works in the community for over 30 years and this week the group received a $10,000 donation from Northfield Bank to help it fund programs to help the less fortunate.

“This grant will help us with our social services, with our seniors and families that need our help,” the organization’s Executive Director Tom Neve told this paper.

“The Northfield Bank Foundation has a community banking philosophy,” said Northfield Bank Vice President and Branch Manager Brian Chin. “The foundation was happy to donate $10,000 to Reaching Out Community Services because giving back is a huge component of the bank’s commitment to the community.”

Reaching-Out began out of the back of a van in 1989, when Neve formed a homeless mobile outreach program that provided hot meals, clothing, health aids and referrals to shelters.

His program grew and the next year the organization moved into a small storefront space. When that grew too small, it moved to a new space in 1993, and then again in 2007 to 7708 New Utrecht Avenue. Currently, Reaching-Out Community Services has over 9,200 people registered for its services in 16 different ZIP Codes across Brooklyn.

Reaching-Out also sponsors a back-to-school backpack give away each year and upcoming events the organization will be conducting include a Christmas toy drive and holiday party, and the Gobbler Giving program at Thanksgiving through which the organization distributes free turkeys and the fixings to people in need. He credited the Rotary Club of Verrazano as being a lifeline for them.

“They’re donating over 300 turkeys, which is outrageous, and we’re purchasing about 150 of our own with whatever money we can collect from people who make a donation,” said Neve.

“But we need to help more people and we have to get more organizations involved, like banks or whatever that would like to chip in. Thanksgiving is every day here for me. People thank us for all that we do, but don’t thank us, thank the sponsors. They’re the ones that make it happen,” he added.

To contribute to Reaching-Out, call Neve at 917-509-9055 or visit www.rcsprograms.org.