COFFEE WITH A PURPOSE — Conversation with Peggy Boyd of Family Service League.
COFFEE HOUR WITH A PURPOSE — Conversation with Peggy Boyd of Family Service League.
This past Sunday, St, John’s hosted Peggy Boyd, Family Service League’s VP of Advocacy and Community Services, at it’s first “Coffee Hour with a Purpose”.Parishioners gathered in Bleecker Hall to learn about the changing face of homelessness and poverty in our town.Peggy shared insights from her 24 years of work in social services in Huntington, including stories about the lives neighbors who struggle to meet basic human needs like food, clothing and shelter, some of whom are invisible to us. Peggy observed that poverty is on the increase in our area, as are homelessness, addiction, and suicide (especially in children and young adults). The lack of affordable housing on Long Island is an on-going challenge . She noted that there has been a demographic shift in the last 10 years, and that the face of poverty is now largely Latino.Many of our neighbors in need do not qualify for government assistance, with organizations like Family Service League filling in the gaps and working create solutions to systemic problems.She expressed gratitude to St. John’s Church for it’s support over many years, helping to fund FSL’s Lockwood Preschool, Manor Field After-School Program and the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative, all of which are having real impact and helping people to live lives of dignity with hope for the future.
Tags: Outreach / October 2019
