The Long Island Council of Churches (LICC), our region’s largest ecumenical and interfaith organization, helps people of diverse faith traditions to work together to assist our most vulnerable neighbors. Our interfaith educational programs include people from eleven different religions to promote greater understanding among people from all faith communities. We serve people in need without regard to their religious, ethnic, cultural background or gender orientation.
Our offices are located in Hempstead, Freeport and Riverhead, three of the poorest communities on Long Island. Our professional staff works with volunteer leaders to implement programs and activities that assist the poor, needy and powerless in our region from all walks of life. Last year we served over 22,000 Neighbors over 192,000 meals through our emergency food and family support services, predatory lending prevention, and interfaith education programs, and another 10,385 through our chaplaincy services in the jail and juvenile detention center.
For 47 years the LICC has brought together hundreds of faith communities to respond rapidly to the emergency needs of the least fortunate. The LICC works with more than 50 public and private health and social service agencies throughout Long Island to provide the following food, family support services, educational programs and chaplaincy services:
Emergency Food
Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Food Baskets
Christmas Food Baskets
Christmas Toys for Children
Housing
Gas, Fuel, Heating Oil
Utilities
Prescriptions
Transportation
Chaplaincy in the Jails &
Juvenile Detention Center
Personal Financial Education
Interfaith Education
Advocacy for the Poor
Information & Referrals
A staff of dedicated full-time and part-time clergy and laypeople operate these programs. The Long Island Council of Churches is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of local clergy and lay denominational representatives. The Council is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization.