www.castsoutholdtown.org
NYC-Style Runway Show Wows Greenport! BRINGS COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO BENEFIT OUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED CAST COLLABORATED WITH NYC FASHION DESIGNER and local business owner Alex Vinash, American Beech, and the Greenport American Legion to bring the first of its kind Runway Show to Greenport. The Garden of Eden Show displayed the romantic and whimsical Resort Collection of Alex Vinash. Nearly 400 people turned out for this unforgettable event benefiting community members in need on the North Fork. The Greenport American Legion was transformed into a high-end fashion show venue bringing experienced models from New York City and other cities around the U.S. With a high energy music playlist, a CAST client with some modeling experience also strode the runway with regal poise and was certainly a crowd favorite. The famed Ted Gibson Artistic Team provided hair and make-up. Dimas Bravo, a professional Runway Coach and Casting Director, shared his talent as well. The Greenport Harbor Brewing Company and Kontokosta Winery, always generous local businesses, donated beer and wine. Local artists from the The North Fork Art Collective and VSOP Projects showcased their work with a percentage of proceeds benefiting CAST. Hundreds of people strolled across town to an after-party at American Beech where the fun continued. Many have asked if this will be an annual event. We certainly hope so!
FALL/WINTER 2018
CAST client Kerstan walking the runway.
© R
ande
e D
adon
na
The 2nd Annual Blast for CAST was a Great Success!THIS YEAR, WE EXPANDED THE BLAST to all of Stirling Square including American Beech, 1943 Pizza Bar, and Open Space. Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. donated beer and our new neighbors, Green Hill Kitchen, donated desserts. The HooDoo Loungers entertained with Mardi Gras-style music and had the crowd doing a “Love Train” throughout the Square. We sincerely thank everyone who volunteered, contributed, and donated to the auction. We also thank sponsors: The Charles & Helen Reichert Family Foundation, Allied Physicians Group/Peconic Pediatrics, Allstate Insurance / Chris Manfredi, Bank of America / Merrill Lynch, Bridgehampton National Bank, Green Hill Kitchen, Gurwin Family of Healthcare Services, Jenny and James Kennedy, Kolb Heating & Cooling, Phoebe & Belle, Nicholas J. Planamento & Joan H. Bischoff, William H. Price Jr., Sea Tow, Deirdre and Marc Sokol, Beacon Light Foundation, Ellen Jaffe, Jack Larsen, Stephanie and Charles McEvily, M & T Bank, Roric Tobin Designs, David and Stephanie Sack, Twomey, Latham, Shea, Kelley, Dubin & Quartararo, LLP, Wechsler Foundation, and JoAnn Wind & Bridget Elkin.
© M
adison Fender
www.castsoutholdtown.org
From the Executive Director...2018 HAS BEEN A YEAR OF GROWTH AND CHANGE FOR CAST. We have a new board pres-ident, Marc Sokol, who lives in Mattituck and has served on the CAST Board for five years. He brings a wealth of business and management experience and we share a vision for CAST’s expansion. I look forward to working with Marc to better serve our neighbors in need. After leading CAST’s North Fork Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) for five years, Sarah Benjamin stepped down and we hope enjoying more time with her family. We appreciate all of her hard work with PCHP and her commitment to early childhood education and to at-risk families on the North Fork. As we strive to move more families to self-sufficiency through our education programs, we are thrilled to announce that Monica Schnee will be joining the CAST team as our new Director of Education & Outreach. Monica, a bilingual educator and Fulbright Teacher, has many years of experience teaching, developing curricula, mentoring new teachers, and conducting parent outreach. In addition to coordinating the North Fork PCHP, she will oversee all CAST edu-cation programs, including our adult ESL and computer programs. Our goal is to create a seamless education continuum for children of all ages and adults. We recently expanded our Food Pantry hours to accommodate our working clients. We also redesigned the CAST website to provide a fresh look with more information and better readability. Check it out at www.castsoutholdtown.org. In addition, we started “North Fork Rising”—a client portrait gallery which tells the story of the work we do and of our clients who are vital members of the community. Thank you to two local photographers—Lloyd Ziff and Randee Dadonna—for donating their time and talent for this project. We also had the opportunity to build community through various Engage, Educate & Empower workshops and fundraising events, and our 2nd Annual Blast for CAST on September 13th was spectacular! Bringing people together to ensure that everyone in the community thrives is a priority for CAST. Thank you for your continued support. We could not provide the critical programs and services for our neighbors in need without your kind and generous contributions.
— Cathy Demeroto
COMING SOON!October 25th
PEDIATRIC HEALTH WORKSHOP FInformation for families on health and
wellness as kids go back to school
October 26th ONE ISLAND GIVING DAY
A virtual giving day for LI non-profits. oneislandgiving.mightycause.com/organization/
Community-Action-Southold-Town
November 10th FOOD DRIVE
Support the Food Pantry with non-perishable food and personal hygiene products at one
of the local grocery stores, 9am-1pm.
November 21stTHANKSGIVING DINNER
In partnership with SCCC Culinary Arts and Clinton Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church.
November/DecemberTOY DRIVE
Donate toys for children and teens November 26th to December 17th.
February HAVE A HEART DINNER
Join us for dinner at Peconic Landing to support our Emergency Assistance Fund.
Look for details in your mailbox and on our website: www.castsoutholdtown.org
Ways to GiveIf you plan well, your gift can have more impact for CAST and your bottom line. Consider the following ideas:
A GIFT OF STOCK OR FROM AN IRAA gift of publicly traded stock, or directly from your IRA allows you to take an income tax deduction and to avoid other taxes.
A BEQUEST IN YOUR WILLA bequest helps to ensure that our vital programs continue while costing you nothing now.
Please call Robin Phillips at 631-477-1717 for more information.
CAST SERVICESFood PantryESL Classes
Computer TrainingBenefit Application Assistance
Advocacy and ReferralsChild Tutoring
Clothing and Household SuppliesTransportation Assistance
CAST PROGRAMSSchool Supply Drive
Holiday Toy DriveSummer Story HoursSeasonal Feed-A-Kid
Fresh Produce Programs Engage, Educate & Empower Workshops
Food DrivesParent-Child Home Program
Holiday Turkey Dinner Free Tax Prep
© M
adis
on F
ende
r
www.castsoutholdtown.org
DID YOU KNOW?CAST IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING ACCESS TO THE ABUNDANT FRESH PRODUCE ON THE NORTH FORK.
CAST by the Numbers A SNAPSHOT FROM JANUARY–SEPTEMBER 2018
6,680 CLIENT VISITS 151CHILDREN SERVED
THROUGH OUR FEED-A-KID PROGRAM
401HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVED
CLOTHING
32FAMILIES BENEFITED FROM EMERGENCY
ASSISTANCE
48 FAMILIES BENEFITED FROM THE PARENT-CHILD HOME PROGRAM
238STUDENTS RECEIVED
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
765PEOPLE UTILIZED THE FOOD PANTRY
CAST LAUNCHED ITS FARM TO FRIEND PROGRAM in June 2018 with 8 local farms participating by donating produce to CAST: Treiber, Sep’s, Sang Lee, Surrey Lane, Deep Roots, Down to Earth, Priscilla’s, and Harbes. Many farms were motivated by the new tax credit for New York farms that donate to local food pantries.
The Farm to Friend program builds on our valuable Gert’s Greens program which, in partnership with the Town of Southold Human Resource Center, allows us to purchase fresh produce from 4 local farms for seniors and vulnerable populations in the community. However, the Gert’s Greens funds are limited so, in combination with the Farm to Friend program, we were able to provide fresh produce to clients most days this summer and we hope this will continue through the fall and next spring. Our clients love the fresh local fruits, vegetables, and herbs and one client even brought the CAST team delicious chili she made with the tomatoes, peppers and beans she got at CAST. We have also provided healthy recipes and nutrition education, including cooking and canning/preserving classes in conjunction with LI Cares and the Cornell Cooperative Extension. CAST would like to expand our reach to all vulnerable community members including the homebound. We hope to raise funds for a mobile food pantry so we can provide nutrition, including fresh local produce, and other critical resources to more of our neighbors in need throughout the Town of Southold.
Client Spotlight:JESSIE A cheerful, spry 93 year-old, Jessie is a widow relying on Social Security. She is independent and still drives from her home in Orient to Greenport to see friends and go shopping. She comes to CAST for bread, fresh produce, and meat due to the high cost of groceries. Jessie is very grateful for our help and often donates items for others, giving back to our neighbors in need.
Preparing Students for School SuccessThanks to the overwhelming support and generosity of individuals, community groups, and local businesses, CAST was able to provide backpacks filled with school supplies to 238 children and teens in the Town of Southold. In August, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Greenport opened its doors to CAST where, with the support of volunteers, we filled and distributed backpacks to families as they prepared to start the school year off right!
© L
loyd
Ziff
Backpacks ready for distribution.
© R
eese
Dun
ne
www.castsoutholdtown.org
COMMUNITY ACTION SOUTHOLD TOWN, INC.316 Front Street • PO Box 159 • Greenport NY 11944
Cathy Demeroto executive director
board of directorsMarc Sokol, President
Lisa Boyd, Vice PresidentMark Gagen, Treasurer
Alex Hu, Secretary
Jennifer KennedyDenis Noncarrow
Robin PhillipsNicholas J. Planamento
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE A DONATION,
VISIT CAST ONLINE ATwww.castsoutholdtown.org
OR CALL631-477-1717
Who We AreSince 1965, Community Action Southold Town, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, has been serving low-income residents from Laurel to Orient Point and Fisher’s Island. CAST helps individuals and families meet their basic needs in the areas of nutrition, clothing, energy, employment, and education. CAST is a critical safety net for Town of Southold residents and is committed to moving vulnerable populations to self-sufficiency through education and outreach programs. Our continued
goal is to improve child and family well-being through direct services and referrals. We rely on the generosity of the community to support our neighbors in need.
“Our mission is to promote self-sufficiency and provide a safety net for Southold Town residents in need.”
“Our vision is to build a thriving community where every person is free from worry about basic necessities and is able to build a better future for themselves and their families.”
© M
adis
on F
ende
r