Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Community leaders Jon Robert Del Giorno, members of The Staten Island United Federation of Teachers (UFT), The AmeriCorps RSVP Program of Staten Island, and the late Dr. Salman Zafar, who was honored posthumously, were recognized at Project Hospitality’s 40th Harvest Gala at LiGreci’s Staaten in West Brighton last week. DelGiorno was feted for 40 years of service, dating to the early days of Project Hospitality, as a volunteer both for the organization and in the wider North Shore community. A protégé of the late Pearse O’Callaghan, DelGiorno became a lobbyist and consultant to many not-for-profits serving disenfranchised communities in the borough and across the city, including Project Hospitality. He received the Catherine (Mac) & Pearse O’Callaghan Award for Social Justice. “Giving back is hard work but doing it with compassion makes Staten Island a better place,” DelGiorno said in accepting the honor. The Staten Island UFT received the Denis P. Kelleher Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to the People of Staten Island. The local UFT organizes among the largest holiday food drives annually for Project Hospitality and carries the project’s mission into their schools — feeding hungry families and providing for homeless families whose children attend public school. The late Kelleher was a staunch advocate of education as the way out of poverty. “Our mission has always been to give back to the borough we proudly call home,” said Donna Coppola, IS/HS District Representative, who spoke on behalf of the group. Tami DiCostanzo, project director, RSVP, stepped forward with nearly a dozen AmeriCorp RSVP volunteers for Project Hospitality to receive the Monsignor Finn Service Above Self Award. The group collectively donate 5,500 hours of service every year at Project Hospitality’s food pantry. “They are masters of compassion and empathy, not just serving food but providing a dignified experience for our hungry neighbors,” noted Alex Hughes, director of Food and Nutrition at Project Hospitality who introduced the group. The room fell silent when Dr. Wahib Zafar spoke of the impact his late father, Dr. Salman Zafar made on the Staten Island community. The Richard E. Diamond Memorial Award for Exemplary Service to the Poor was awarded in memoriam to the man whose life was a testament to service. “My father was a citizen of compassion and a servant of humanity,” said Zafar. “My father lived by a simple and powerful principal: Help those who need it most. He volunteered countless hours for Project Hospitality. He served those around him, never for praise and never for recognition, He did it with humility and grace. My father believed if you had the ability to ease somebody’s suffering, you also had the responsibility to do so.” As he introduced the Zafar family, Tim Harrison, Project Hospitality Board’s first vice chair, described their unmeasurable dedication to others. Harrison announced to the 300 guests gathered, that the Diamond Matching Grant Program of the Staten Island Federation will donate a total of $300,000 to Project Hospitality this year, as part of its two-to-one matching funds initiative. The financial support comes at time when Project Hospitality and non-profits across the borough, city, state and nation are shouldering some of the largest public budget cuts in their histories.
