Our Work

A Message from Brentwood for our Spread the Love Campaign

Below is a message we received from Brentwood.

“Thank you so much for the backpacks with all the food and the books. The kids were so excited to pick out books and take the backpack home today. Thank you so much. These are just a few of the kids that got their stuff today. ”

A message of gratitude to Agape from P.S.28

Below is a message we received from Parent Coordinator Dannia Velasquez.

Good Morning Irene,

I wanted to send you a huge thank you for all the bags. I wish you could have seen our families’ faces. They were so grateful. These people truly needed it, some of the parents that received it are in homeless shelters and others are new to the country and truly struggling. On behalf of PS28… THANK YOU to you and your team for your generosity, and for this wonderful program.

Best,
Dannia Velasquez
Parent Coordinator
P.S.28Q
The Thomas Emanuel Early Childhood Center
(718) 271-4971 ext. 1208

Messages from Agape Schools

Below is a message we received from Assistant Principal Amanda Prinz.

“Agape meals have helped us reach our students in a vital way.  Not only are they helping to fill the gap between school provided meals but the added nutrition over the weekend is enabling our students to come to school on Monday mornings ready to learn.  The support lets our families and students know that they are cared for!  Thank you AGAPE!”

Amanda Prinz
Assistant Principal, Comsewogue High School
631-474-8181

Below is a message we received from Special Education Teacher Dana Urbinati.

Thank you so much for sharing AGAPE with us and our students. The smiles and excitement from the students are beyond heartwarming. Food insecurity is so real and prevalent especially now, but with AGAPE we are able to lessen that insecurity and provide much needed food, nutrition and support for our students. Our students now have a sense of security knowing that they will have food while they are not in school. This added security and nourishment helps prepare them for academic success, they can focus on school work and not the rumbling in their stomachs. The students feel cared for and special, and these feelings are made possible by AGAPE and your supporters! We are beyond grateful for you!

In Terryville, we have included holiday cards and the Student Council is having an ornament making afternoon to include student made ornaments to go home with the food. The members of the student council are so excited to participate in this afternoon!

Thank you so much for your time and dedication to our students!! AGAPE is a true blessing.

Dana Urbinati
Special Education Teacher
Terryville Road Elementary

Thanks to our generous supporters, we’ve expanded our backpack program to the Comsewogue School District

Below is a message we received from Assistant Principal Amanda Prinz.

“I have to say thank you! We were so impressed by the food bags that went home… Thank you
again – you are making such a difference in the lives of our kids!”

We ARE making a difference in children’s lives every week.

Thank you to each and every one of you who support Agape Meals for Kids. Together we CAN
fight childhood hunger on Long Island!

Sometimes it’s hard to see the results when you give a donation to a charity. This may help:

Backpacks filled with easy meals ready to hand out to children.

The messages of gratitude we received from school administrators confirm we are making a difference in the lives of children. This is and will always be our focus and mission.

As one school counselor shared: “Every Friday our students look forward to receiving their bags of food. Even before Friday arrives, students are asking me, “Ms… Are we getting AGAPE on Friday?” This simple question validates just how much our students look forward to receiving their bags! Students have expressed to me that having this food helps their families. Especially, the families where parents are not working or there is only one parent working.

“The students have also enjoyed receiving the extra goody bags for Valentine’s Day and Easter. This put a big smile on their adorable faces! It made them feel very special!”

“Southwest would like to thank you and your staff for your kindness and thoughtfulness to our students. The AGAPE Food Program has been a blessing to our students in need. I look forward to having this program for the upcoming school year.”

Yours in Counseling,

Millie de la Concha
School Counselor-Consejera de la escuela
Southwest Elementary
(631) 434-2261
And we also received some messages from home. Here are a few:

“It is a great help and I thank you for the food you send with my daughter, the truth is that it helps me a lot and thanks for everything.”

“Very grateful for the food my children enjoy a lot beautiful work God bless you it is very helpful.”

“The food is very helpful, thank you very much, blessings for everything.”

Although we may never personally meet the children that we are helping, these messages are assuring us that our efforts are soothing hungry tummies and bringing smiles to children’s faces.

Please join us in being a source of hope for a child in need.

Dear Agape,

On behalf of the Brentwood District, we would like to thank you for your generous donations of Meals for Kids Backpack Weekend Program. Donors like you help feed our community’s most vulnerable students and their siblings. Because of your weekly donations, 137 students do not have to worry about going hungry on the weekends. Many of our families work long hours and their children are often left home alone with older siblings to care for them.

Having these backpack meals makes a huge difference in their lives. We get to see firsthand how excited they are to pick them up at the end of the school day to bring home. They truly appreciate and are very grateful for your donations. They have shared with us how much they love the food. They particularly love all the options they have. We have overheard them talking to each other as they peak inside to see what is in the bag – “Wow, this is really good food! “Your thoughtfulness and generosity are truly appreciated. Thank you from all of us in the Brentwood District, especially, West Middle, Pine Park Elementary, Southwest Elementary and East Kindergarten.

Sincerely,

Brentwood School District
Paula Ribeiro-Manikas
Coordinator of Bilingual and English as a New Language Instruction K-12
Karen Morgan
TOSA SIFE Liaison and Embedded Coach

❤ Happy Valentine’s Day ❤

Thank you so much for the Valentine’s Day Treat Bags, peanut butter and jelly for our Brentwood students. They were so excited to read all the wonderful notes
and eat their Valentine’s Day Treats. It is so amazing and heartwarming to see kids helping kids.
People will forget what you said, people may forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou

Parent comments/feedback on Parent Square

Maria
It is a great help and I thank you for the food you
send with my daughter, the truth is that it helps me a
lot and thanks for everything

Zenayda
Very grateful for the food my children enjoy a lot
Eating the snacks beautiful work God bless you it is
very helpful

Mercy
The food is very helpful, thank you very much,
blessings for everything

Dear Agape,

Thank you so much for the beautiful Easter Bags for our students. You have no idea how excited they were to receive
them! Your thoughtfulness, generosity and dedication is so very much appreciated. I shared your text message with the students:
“You are so welcome and I am so glad it’s making the children happy! We want them to know that we love them!” ~Irene Michalos

They were all so touched by your words and their response was,
” please tell Agape, that we love them too, and we are extremely grateful for their generosity.”

Wishing you and your family a Happy and Healthy Easter!

Sincerely,

Brentwood School District
Paula Ribeiro-Manikas
Coordinator of Bilingual and English as a New Language Instruction K-12
Karen Morgan
TOSA SIFE Liaison and Embedded Coach

Thank You Note Sent From The School District
Thank You Note Sent From The School District

Hello and Happy Valentine’s Day!

On behalf of Brentwood, our children, and our families, I would like to send you a very special THANK YOU for making our students’ days and weekends so SPECIAL! The sweet Valentine’s Day Treats filled all of us with joy and gratitude. Words cannot express how much your efforts, attention to detail, and care have warmed our hearts. You exemplify the meaning of AGAPE!

We thank you,

Paula

Paula Ribeiro-Manikas
Coordinator of Bilingual and English as a New
Language Instruction K-12