Our History

Community Services of Far Rockaway was established twenty-eight years ago as Loving Care Center, an offshoot of Battalion Pentecostal Assembly Inc. It began as a soup kitchen serving hot meals weekly to the community. This initiative grew into a pantry program, complementing the soup kitchen. Recognizing Rockaway's status as a food desert, the team acquired a fifty-foot container to house the food pantry and other necessary community services. As food demand and counseling referrals surged, a second fifty-foot trailer was added. One trailer served as office space for interviewing food recipients, conducting nutrition classes, counseling services, and classes on healthy eating and food preparation. The other was outfitted with three refrigerators and two freezers for storage. Thanks to a United Way grant, the organization expanded to include an organic garden, providing fresh, organic produce to the community along with pantry items. This was crucial, offering residents nutritious options. The program ran for twelve years, becoming the largest pantry operation in the area, open twice weekly for five hours each day. However, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc, forcing the destruction of the trailers due to mold and salinization of the garden soil. Despite these setbacks, the organization secured its 501c3 status and rebranded from Loving Care Center to Community Services of Far Rockaway.

Community Services of Far Rockaway faced challenges resuming operations without over $250,000 to recover from the losses and meet new pantry operational standards, a sum that exceeded their budget.