Formation 1983 (1983) Region served Long Island, New York | Type Non-profit Main organ Board of Directors | |
Headquarters 211 Fulton Street
Hempstead, New York Membership 14 Soup Kitchens, 3 Emergency Shelters, 1 Long-Term Housing Program, 1 Veteran Housing Program | ||
The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Long Island, New York. The INN is the largest organization that fights hunger and homelessness on Long Island. The INN is a volunteer-based organization with volunteers who help coordinate the donations and distributions of food, clothing, and toiletries to those they serve. It is estimated that the INN feeds about 5,000 Long Islanders each week.
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History
The INN was founded as a single soup kitchen in Hempstead, NY in 1983 by a small group of volunteers who were concerned about the state of hunger on Long Island. The main orchestrator of the creation of this first soup was Patricia O’Connor, a mother of nine, and Michael Moran, then a Chaplain at Hofstra University. Thirty people responded to Pat and Michael’s call for volunteers to create this first soup kitchen in Hempstead. Jean Kelly was one of the thirty who responded to that initial call and now resides as the Executive Director of The INN. As success of the first soup kitchen spread through word of mouth, other Long Islanders became passionate about opening more soup kitchens in their own towns. From its inception, The INN has relied on interfaith communities and connections and remains unbiased towards religion, race or ethnicity.
In 1984, volunteers realized that hunger wasn’t the only problem they could strive to fix, but that homelessness needed attention, too. The INN responded to this problem by opening its first emergency shelter. It subsequently developed into a comprehensive organization that could aid the hungry and homeless throughout Long Island in a variety of ways. As of 2013 the INN operates 14 soup kitchens, three emergency shelters, and one long-term housing program.
Each year, The INN hosts an INNkeepers’ Ball in order to honor those who have donated their time and resources to The INN, and to raise awareness as well as funds for the organization. At the 2013 INNkeepers’ Ball, over $1 million was raised.
Services Offered
The INN offers five services:
Notable Partnerships
In 2010, Howitt Middle School in Farmingdale, NY held a dance marathon fundraiser and was able to raise $10,167 which they donated to The INN. In 2011, Ice Girls from the New York Islanders hockey team supported a food drive in Mineola by volunteering their time to help collect food and greet passersby.
In 2013, Walmart donated $75,000 to The INN in order to aid Long Islander’s during the holiday season. During that season, Walmart donated a total of $1 million to food pantries and soup kitchens across New York State.