Panico’s Market is no stranger to bringing the community together through charitable endeavors; and it all started with one noble man in charge.
On September 12, 2001, Donato Panico rode to Ground Zero – his catering truck loaded with whatever food, water and other respite the past day’s First Responders needed.
In 2015, after years behind the scenes of a similar outfit, he created the “Heros 4 Our Heroes” not-for-profit. Today, he remains the same hero-first community pillar commended by all as a hero in his own right.
“Panico is an honest, trustworthy, and humble man who is always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need in the community we live in,” said Kim Revere, a volunteer.
Though described by many as someone who would quicker defer the credit elsewhere, Panico is not too humble as to deny the fact he and his team met their goal last week – feeding more military men and women this Thanksgiving than they could in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“Thanksgiving was a huge success,” Panico said proudly. “We handed out 1,000 turkeys, and are now gearing up for our Christmas order.” The Christmas order in question: 100 turkeys and hams (each), for the Veterans who need them most. Those eager to receive one can plan to pick theirs up at the Northport VA between 11 am and 1 pm on December 18 – the Saturday before Christmas.
Working in conjunction with “Heros 4 Our Heroes,” and equally active in the fight against Veteran hunger: the aptly-named “Cooking for Long Island Veterans.”
“(Sometimes) we’ll do the cooking for them, and they have the manpower to handle our distribution; side-by-side, it’s a great combination,” Panico (photo right) noted.
The collision of everyday stressors with the unforeseen culture shock and overwhelm brought upon by the Covid-19 crisis, Panico feels, have made the past couple years especially difficult for already-struggling Veterans.
“When the country’s doing good, the Veterans are forgotten about; when the country’s doing bad, the belt gets tightened and the Veterans suffer even more,” Panico said.
Veterans Day is nearly a month past. The upcoming 80th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor is fast approaching. America’s suddenly intensified unrest with its foremost enemies a world away serves as an unfortunate but necessary reminder of the still-lingering fallout from 9/11. For every person who eagerly signs up to protect their country in the traditional sense, countless others bow their heads, thinking they can’t do their part to both honor and assist the brave on the homefront.
But Panico and company are here to help the defeated see they can contribute to enhancing the lives of the worse-off by comparison. The betterment of the Long Island community, and world at large, starts with recognizing Veterans deserve more.
“His organization is a way for everyday people to thank our men and women in uniform for protecting the community,” Revere added. “It’s the least we can do.”
Those interested in acting now, to help a Veteran (or several) today, by Holiday’s end and beyond need look no further than the “Heros 4 Our Heroes” Facebook page. Donation opportunities are also available, and described in full detail, on the not-for-profit’s website: www.heros4ourheroes.org
“We are our brother’s keeper feeding our heroes in their time of need,” the website homepage reads, “because we never walked a mile in their shoes.”
No, we didn’t.
