The board of North Shore Soup Kitchen (NSSK) and NOSH, a program of NSSK, has elected Christine Rice to lead the organization. Madeline Rubenstein, chair for the past four years stated: “Christine Rice is the perfect person to lead the next chapter in this organization’s long 32-year life. I can only imagine the wonderful things the organization will accomplish under Christine’s capable guidance.” The NSSK/NOSH board also announced that eight additional board members have been elected to office.
NSSK/NOSH’s New Chairwoman
Christine Rice grew up with her nine siblings in Garden City and continues to reside in that community. She brings to her new role at NSSK a wealth of personal and professional experience which includes having been primary caretaker for her mother, who had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, and her father, who died in 2013. She went on to serve the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center as director of special events and community outreach. In 2019, Rice was named executive director of the Glen Cove Senior Center. The mother of two adult children, Rice received a bachelor’s degree from Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. and a master’s degree from Adelphi University in Garden City.
NSSK/NOSH’s Newest Board Members
Matthew Catapano of Sea Cliff has worked with Doctors Without Borders and is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Fordham University. As a member of the NOSH program committee, he has created special events for NOSH clients, particularly around holidays: Baskets of treats at Easter, boxes of chocolate hearts at Valentine’s Day and the makings for a family Thanksgiving feast.
As a director of Cause Strategy Partners, Locust Valley’s Erin M. Connell oversees a national program to recruit, place, and train professionals to serve on nonprofit boards, helping nonprofits transform and strengthen their leadership. She has consulted in the social and nonprofit sector with an emphasis on strategic planning and board development. Connell holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management from NYU.
Paula Cushman of Locust Valley brings a professional background in marketing and communications to the board as well as volunteer service with many educational and social services organizations including Save the Children Long Island, Old Westbury Gardens, the Green Vale School and the North Shore Land Alliance.
Sea Cliff’s Pete Hayes, a CPA and MBA in Finance, brings extensive professional experience in banking and consulting to the NSSK board. Hayes has served four terms as a Sea Cliff trustee and has been on the board of Habitat for Humanity of Nassau for the last 12 years. As a NSSK volunteer, Hayes was a cook. He and his wife, Deirdre, have been NOSH driver/deliverers for the past year.
Alan Hudson III has been assistant principal of Glen Cove High School for the past 16 years. During the pandemic, with his wife and some of his staff he reached out to Long Island Harvest and NOSH to create the Glen Cove High School Food Pantry. Hudson also serves with Glen Cove Economic Opportunity Council and The Alumni for Youth Scholarship/Mentorship program.
Locust Valley’s Nitika Moran, having been a consultant to several banks and major financial services firms, brings financial expertise to the NSKK board. She is the founder of Clean Curated and the CC Bazaar and currently volunteers with the Locust Valley School District, NOSH and serves on the board of the Glen Cove Boys and Girls Club.
Attorney Catherine A. Schwarz of Oyster Bay Cove worked for the Washington D.C. firm of Foley & Lardner LLP focusing on commercial and securities litigation and antitrust law. She is presently a freelance attorney with Montage Legal Group. Schwarz additionally is a council partner to Save the Children and works on alumni admission interviews for her alma mater, Middlebury College.
Bob Sherman of Sea Cliff brings broad administrative and program management experience to the board. He was chief administrative officer for the SCO Family of Services in Glen Cove and director of operations and assistant commissioner for administration in Nassau County’s Department of Social Services. Sherman is a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters Long Island and Habitat for Humanity.
About North Shore Soup Kitchen and NOSH
The North Shore Soup Kitchen (NSSK) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization established in 1989 to feed hungry people in the Glen Cove area. Located in the First Baptist Church on Continental Place in Glen Cove, the North Shore Soup Kitchen is staffed by a group of more than 100 volunteers. These volunteers cook, serve and clean up after meals. They also work behind the scenes ordering supplies, writing the newsletter, sorting and distributing donated clothing, fundraising and keeping the books and raising funds. NSSK had to discontinue its three-times-per-week in-person meal service due to the pandemic; NSSK expects to resume by fall 2021.
In March 2021, NOSH, an emergency free food delivery service, was organized to help meet greater food assistance needs that arose during the pandemic. Now an official program of the North Shore Soup Kitchen, NOSH is a not-for-profit organization staffed by volunteers who deliver weekly NOSHBags, the groceries needed to prepare two meals for a family of four; additional NOSHBags are provided to larger families. These weekly deliveries are to homes in Bayville, Glen Cove, Roslyn, Locust Valley and Sea Cliff. Additionally, NOSHBags are available to those who come to the VFW Hall on a walk-in basis. The food distributed by NOSH is donated by Long Island charities and local businesses. Approximately 500 families are served each week.
For further information on NSSK or NOSH or to support their work with a donation, visit www.northshoresoupkitchen.org.
