COVID-19 Response from East Neck Insurance: Donating and Fundraising

Four business owners from the Town of Babylon, who are all longtime friends, are helping seniors in need during the COVID-19 health crisis.

The men behind East Neck Insurance, Green Metro Restoration, Sci-Unison Fitness, and Deer Park Wholesale Kitchens have set up a market at 421 Great East Neck Road in West Babylon, where they are giving away free food and supplies to residents 65 and older.

“We saw how crazy the supermarkets were with the long lines and we wanted to find a way so the elderly didn’t have to wait or be in crowds,” said Danny Walsh, the owner of East Neck Insurance.

To solve this, he and his buddies Matt O’Keefe, Ryan Sullivan and Michael Maxwell banded together and started a fundraiser.

Each year, Sullivan, who owns Sci-Unison Fitness, sets up a campaign to help feed the hungry during Thanksgiving through an online platform. He pivoted that website to start raising funds for this cause.

Within a couple days, the friends were able to raise about $10,000. They then took that money, bought up supplies at local wholesalers, and set up a market at East Neck Insurance.

They began giving away items this Monday, and it quickly caught steam.

“We didn’t think we’d get this response,” said Walsh. “We thought some local people would get the word out, but we’ve had people come from deep in Nassau County. It’s amazing.”

Because of its popularity, to avoid crowds the group began taking orders over the phone and having them ready for curbside pickup or for delivery.

“Everything has gone perfectly,” said Walsh. “Nobody’s been greedy. People are taking things they would need to just get by during this time.”

Curbside pick up ran daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations went toward buying more non-perishables, with anything left over benefiting a local food pantry.

“We’re just trying our best to help during these hard times,” said O’Keefe, who owns Deer Park Wholesale Kitchens.