Nassau Teen Leads Food Drive For Needy Family Thanksgiving Meals

MERRICK, NY — A Merrick teen is giving back to her community's less fortunate families.

For the third year in a row, Tara Brown, a Bellmore-JFK High School junior, is leading a food drive with Long Island Cares to feed those in need for Thanksgiving.

"My daughter really caught the bug for this organization and just loved this idea that [she] and other kids could actually do something," Josh Brown, her father, told Patch.

On Nov. 6, the school, with help from other students, is inviting the public to bring donations. Last year's event led to approximately 150 holiday meals for delivery.

For this year's fundraiser, Brown thought it was time for his daughter to have a larger role in running the operation.

"She's got kids from all over Long Island coming to this," he said. "Some of them will do one meal. Some of them will do 10."

For people who wanted to donate but aren't local, the Browns initiated a separate $1 fundraiser.

Brown, a wealth management expert and author, used his third book as a springboard for charitable work. Unable to do a live book signing due to the pandemic, Brown said for $20 made out to Long Island Cares, he'd send back (free shipping) a signed book to those fans.

He got hundreds of book signing requests and "every one of them had a check for $20. Some people wrote a check for a hundred," he said. "There was this outpouring of people that recognized the food emergency."

They branched out to shipping donated meals in 2021. He has a goal of $20,000 for this season. With 150 meals a year ago, Brown is hoping to eclipse 200 this time around.

"If we can give a Thanksgiving meal to 200 families in the area and have a donation in dollars, I think that's going to make a big difference," he said.

Brown, who grew up in Merrick and went to Kennedy High School, lived with his wife in Manhattan for 10 years before returning to their hometown with Tara, 16, and her siblings.

"Something clicked with her early on," he said about his daughter's altruism.

He said this year's drive is even more pressing, given the staggering inflation.

"The cost of living is making a tough situation so much worse," he said.

Brown said the best part of the Nov. 6 fundraiser, set for 10 a.m., is primarily younger people aren't thinking about themselves.

"That's who my daughter is reaching. It's her peer group," he said. "This is going to be very much driven by the kids."