On a crisp morning in Rockville Centre, a steady stream of cars rolled into the village police headquarters parking lot — not in response to an emergency, but to answer a call from their neighbors.
The Rockville Centre Police Benevolent Association hosted its third annual Drive-Up Food Drive last Saturday, and this year the tradition included a heartfelt twist: a toy drive was added to help bring holiday comfort to families served by the Hispanic Brotherhood Food Pantry, on Maple Avenue.
The PBA collected beans, canned goods, juice, pasta, rice, tomato sauce, tuna, vegetable oil and unwrapped toys outside police headquarters on Maple Avenue. Donors drove through and handed their contributions to volunteers — many of them off-duty village police officers who spent their day lending a hand to help residents in need.
In previous years, roughly 200 cars have pulled up and dropped off donations, and organizers said this year’s turnout was similar. The PBA promoted the event heavily on social media and throughout the village. It was held the same day as the village’s annual 5K and Family Fun Run, a strategic choice to capture the attention of residents and visitors passing the station.
“We wanted to do a toy drive for a while, and we really didn’t know the best way to make sure the Rockville Centre community gets that benefit,” PBA President Mike Rollo said. “The 5K runs right by our police station. We get as much exposure as possible and help people during the holiday season beyond food, which is kind of our goal.”
This marks the second year of the PBA’s partnership with the Hispanic Brotherhood, and the organization’s executive director, Marguerite Keller, attended last weekend’s event. Rollo first reached out to her two years ago, she said, at a time when the food pantry shelves were nearly bare heading into the holidays.
“We’re part of the community — we’ve always been a part of the community,” Keller said. “For the community to give back to us in the form of food that we can then turn around and give to those in need, it’s just huge.”
Village officials also showed their support. Mayor Francis X. Murray joined members of the village board to thank the volunteers and donors.
“They’re volunteering to collect food for the needy of Rockville Centre, and all this food collected will go to Hispanic Brotherhood, which is a wonderful organization in Rockville Centre started by Marguerite Grasing,” Murray said. “On behalf of the village board and myself, Deputy Mayor Kathy Baxley and Trustee Katie Conlon, we thank them so much for their efforts to help the needy people of Rockville Centre.”
The village’s Lions Club was also among the volunteer groups, with club president Jeff Chesner helping collect donations.
“We work with the PBA, and they do things for us also,” Chesner said. “We got a flier from them for several different upcoming events, this being one of them, and they mentioned that they could use some volunteers, so I was happy to come out and help.”
With community interest growing, the PBA is now considering expanding the food drive with a possible spring event. “The Hispanic Brotherhood has been a great partner with us for the last couple of years,” Rollo said. “They’re amazing people over there, and we just love the opportunity to help them and help the community.”
For more information on the Rockville Centre PBA, visit RVCPBA.org.
