Huntington Matters received the following message from the Town of Huntington, Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo on Thursday, August 14, 2025:
Huntington, NY – On Friday, August 15, 2025, Huntington Town Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo will be coordinating a Day of Service at the Joshua Baptist Church in Greenlawn. The first-of-its-kind initiative will galvanize a wide array of community volunteers into a special team, committed to serving their neighbors.
Dr. Bennardo said that Joshua Baptist leaders reached out for assistance in cleaning what seemed to be years of illegal dumping on the historic church grounds. This trash included mounds of grass clippings, piles of leaves, old landscaping equipment, yard waste, and even a rusted shed. It took only moments after sharing this story for Scout Leader, Keith Gunsel, as well as South Huntington School District Superintendent Dr. D’Elia, Walt Whitman High School Principal Dr. Murphy, and Board President Mr. Ciappetta to rally to the cause. The initial volunteers were soon joined by members of local civic groups, union representatives, elected officials, and law enforcement officers, and the first Day of Service was born.
Dr. Bennardo explained that his years as a public educator and now as a Town Councilman had introduced him to countless individuals interested in serving their community. He added that the key is to organize these willing volunteers and connect them with individuals and organizations in need. It is our hope that this first Huntington Day of Service becomes a monthly tradition, and we look forward to starting with our friends at the Joshua Baptist Church. in Greenlawn at 10 AM on Friday.
Friday, August 15, 2025
10:00AM
Joshua Baptist Cathedral Church
376 Broadway Greenlawn
Huntington, NY
Huntington Matters immediately shared the letter to our social networks and a few local business owners asking neighbors to come help out if they were available with the note to Please wear Work Gloves! If you want to help but can’t do anything physical, please bring cold water, Gatorade or snacks for the volunteers.
The morning of August 15th, Dr. Bennardo walked into Greenlawn Hardware store where he was immediately asked if he needed church cleanup supplies! The owner had seen our posts the day before and promptly donated hundreds of heavy duty trash bags and other items to the cause. THANK YOU!
Our team joined dozens of other volunteers including MANY local Boy Scout groups. With a glance it was easy to see why the congregation of Joshua Cathedral Church was overwhelmed from the illegal dumping and overgrowth. Neighbors – IT IS NOT OKAY to dump truck loads of landscaping debris and trash on someone else’s property – especially a CHURCH!! WPW on Pulaski Road takes organic yard waste for under $100 per load! Not only is illegal dumping a nuisance, it is also a CRIME.
Watch the videos to see the incredible transformation that our neighbors, local businesses, Boy Scouts, town and school officials and the Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct were able to accomplish in TWO HOURS working together. Supervisor Andre Sorrentino, Huntington Highway Department and The Town of Huntington General Services Department brought the machines to assist in carting away the debris. It was absolutely incredible to be a participant, and a special shout out to Marlon Granda from Lugmonster who responded to our call for help too!
Overseer Tenicha Johnson-Bynum, Pastor of Joshua Cathedral Church together with the church leaders are so thankful for the community’s hard work and support.
Councilman Dr. Dave Bennardo plans to host a Day of Service regularly to connect our community’s generous volunteers with projects that desperately need assistance. We will post all future Day of Service opportunities to our Huntington Matters social media profiles and the Community Calendar.
Photography by Dana E. Richter, June Margolin, Laura Carey and Maddy from Long Island Dog Waste Removal. Videography and Editing by June Margolin.
