A few weeks ago I decided to write about
some great people from Smithtown for this blog—those who still live here and
those who grew up here and still carry our town in their hearts.
Living in Smithtown for over 35 years, and a
graduate of Hauppauge High School who is very active on Facebook, I easily listed
a dozen or so people I wanted to blog about. As for the first person, I knew it
had to be my former schoolmate Lorraine Gryniewich.
A few months ago, Lorraine, a member of
Hauppauge High School’s Class of ’87, experienced a turning point in her life
and found her calling. While others were gathered around the table on
Thanksgiving Day catching up on family members and friends, or posting photos
on Facebook, this wife and mother of two was having a more meaningful interaction. A
conversation with her twin sister Laura on that day would be one that would positively
change her life as well as the lives of many of the less fortunate in her area.
Lorraine was incredulous when Laura, who is a social
worker, explained that the people she served would not receive their usual food
baskets during the holidays due to policy changes. After hearing of her
sister’s frustrations, Lorraine said to her, “I’ll do it. I don’t know how, but
I will do it.”
And she did it! Getting the word out to her
friends on Facebook that she was organizing a food drive, the philanthropist
was able to collect 1,867 pounds of food and hand deliver complete meals to
over 50 families in time for Christmas. Lorraine said food and money donations
came from all over the country with the great majority of the donations coming
from former Hauppauge High School classmates—many who she hasn’t seen in almost
30 years.
 |
| Some of the food collected during Lorraine's holiday food drive in 2013. |
Turns out the holiday food drive wasn’t just a
feel good project to get into the spirit of the season for Lorraine. She
couldn’t get over the feeling that she just dropped off baskets of food to some
families that didn’t even have electricity or running water. Knowing that
Lorraine felt the desire to help others in need even further, one of her friends
suggested she visit an underserved school in West Virginia. After a trip to the
school in a rural and isolated area, she was struck by the urgent need for
basics such as food and clothing. She knew she needed to do something to help
out the students as well as their families.
Her calling to be the voice of the less
fortunate led to the birth of the nonprofit organization Piece of the Pie (POP).
The mission is simple: to help families and seniors in need living in the DC
metro, Maryland, Northern Virginia and West Virginia areas. In addition, if she
can assist in some way in other places, she is more than happy to help.
Lorraine has adopted the West Virginia school
and has visited the faculty and students, as well as the homes in the
surrounding area, numerous times. She has helped to bring coats, sneakers,
early readers, classroom books, copy paper and more to the children and their
families. With a recent clothing and materials drive, she once again has been
touched by the generosity of those she has connected with on Facebook.
Long-time friends and acquaintances not only have donated to the cause, but
have also volunteered their homes to be drop-off sites for donated items.
Mimi Wright, who has known Lorraine since
their days together at Forest Brook Elementary School, wasn’t surprised when
she heard her former classmate was starting a non-profit and how quickly
everything came together.
“There was
no question in my mind that this was her calling—finding the local need and
getting people to fix it! She has the heart to want to do it; the organizational
skills to get it done. The attitude to make sure she gets the right help, or
send people on their way, and the personality to do it with such grace that
people want to help over and over again,” Mimi said.
It’s also no surprise that Lorraine has been touched so deeply by the needs of the children attending the West Virginia school. Before becoming a
stay-at-home mother 9 years ago, she was a teacher for 15 years. Lorraine knows
that students need the basics in and outside of the classroom to receive a
proper education and that all children deserve to be educated. The former
educator explained that most of the children live in remote areas that are only
passable with a four-wheel drive even on a good day—the type of vehicles that
poor families can’t afford. And even if they do a have a car, many of the
parents can’t afford to buy gas. With stores a 20 minute drive away, even when
there is money to buy groceries, without a car it can be extremely difficult to
pick up food and other necessities. She said that at times the visits to the
children’s homes can leave her feeling frustrated and wondering if she is doing
enough for them.
“What keeps me going is the hope that maybe
one little one will remember a kind act and will feel worthy of a better life,”
she said.
Lorraine said it’s her father who has inspired
her most in life, and it’s he who set the example of helping others. The former
Hauppauge track team member said she remembers her dad buying coffee for a man
with special needs who bagged groceries in Grand Union. He also would buy lunch
for the autistic man who was in charge of gassing up the trucks at work. While
Lorraine moved to Maryland after graduating from the University of Buffalo and
now calls Virginia home, she still travels to our town often to visit her
father as well as her mother, brother and grandmother.
The founder of Piece of the Pie has not only changed the lives of those she has helped, but also those who have been inspired to do
better after witnessing what she has accomplished in such a
short time. Former classmate Francine Silverman was so touched by Lorraine’s
work that she coordinated a clothing drive in her New Jersey neighborhood for
Piece of the Pie. In addition to the clothing she gathered, she also found an
eye doctor to donate a box of frames and prescription glasses and a dentist to contribute
250 toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Lorraine is currently collecting
non-perishable foods for the families in the West Virginia area and also
organizing a back-to-school supplies and clothing drive for the students. If
you are inspired by this former Smithtown resident’s mission, you can donate
non-perishable foods, gently-used clothing and outwear for children and adults,
gently-used books, games, puzzles or small toys to Piece of the Pie. Simply contact
Lorraine at rain@shareapieceofthepie.org.
Monetary donations are also accepted and can be sent to: PO Box 214,
Hamilton, Virginia 20158.
For more information
about Piece of the Pie, visit http://shareapieceofthepie.org .
 |
| The results of a recent Piece of the Pie clothing drive. |
·
