(The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation ) Sixth Street in Greenwich Village
Christmas brings out volunteers in Greenwich Village
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DECEMBER 11, 2005
By Happynews Staff, Ben James

That’s why she takes umbrage at the notion that Greenwich Village residents don’t value Christian charity as much as people in more traditional neighborhoods. In fact, she says, the opposite is true. Volunteers, many from nearby universities, come to St. Joseph’s in droves during the holidays
“They don’t just care, they do,” Lee said of Village residents. St. Joseph’s, Trinity Lutheran Church and the First Presbyterian Church are just a few of the Greenwich Village institutions ministering to the homeless and needy this holiday season with the help of those in this decidedly nontraditional community.
Twenty-nine-year-old Alex Matina, who works for a hedge fund, said he volunteers at St. Joseph’s because he wants to “give something back” and because he enjoys “the interaction with the other volunteers.”
“Giving time,” Matina said, “is much more helpful than money.”
Last Saturday, while a crew of teenagers wearing blue YSOP shirts prepared meals at St. Joseph’s, a few blocks away at the First Presbyterian Church on Fifth Avenue and 11th Street, volunteers were selling everything from homemade food to mink coats at the annual Tartan Fair, which benefits the church’s outreach efforts to the less fortunate. The Tartan theme is a tip of the hat to the Presbyterian faith’s Scottish roots.
Too many people think of “kids with earrings in their noses” when they think of the Village, according to Lee. “What they don’t see is people who lead industrious lives and are generous.”
As the Presbyterian church choir rehearsed Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols,” three floors of the adjoining landmark church building bustled with red and green. Joan Ryan, the fair’s volunteer coordinator, said about 250 volunteers worked in shifts in the fair’s nine departments last Friday and Saturday. Everything sold at the fair was either made or donated by members of the congregation.
Scott Nevin, one of the younger volunteers at the Tartan Fair, lives on Washington Square Park and works for a money-management firm. He volunteers because “to support the church” and because the fair is “a great way to get into the holiday spirit.”
Lee flipped through a stack of photocopied pictures of volunteers, proudly pointing out corporate executives and attorneys. She also said she gets lots of help from local young people attending school at New York University and Pace University as well as from a Quaker group called the Youth Service Opportunity Program as reliable sources of volunteers. Despite her faith in the social conscience of the Village, she lamented the fact the charitable spirit inspired by Thanksgiving and Christmas is evanescent. “They always forget that there’s the rest of the year,” she said.
“Many give at the end of the year considering tax breaks they might receive from donating to nonprofit organizations,” explained Father Phil Trzynka of Trinity Lutheran Church in the East Village and the group Shelter and Food for the Homeless in an e-mail. “It may not be the best or correct motivation, but we are willing to take the donations and put them to use, no matter what the motivation was to give.”
This year’s fair, for example, will earn around $25,000 for the Presbyterian church, said Parish Associate Richard Pease, a retired minister with a background in social work who helps coordinate the First Presbyterian’s charitable efforts. Pease acknowledged that volunteering and donations spike around Christmas.
“It has a lot do with human nature,” Pease said when asked about why people become more charitable around Christmas. “When you have these events, it brings out the best in people.” Still, Pease was not a fan of charitable events tied specifically to Christmas. After all, he pointed out, homelessness and poverty are year-round problems.
Janine Shissler and David Bae, a young couple who live near the Presbyterian church and have been attended for about a year, brought their 2-year-old son Gus to the fair. When Gus saw Santa, Shissler said he was too awestruck to ask for a gift (Santa suggested an elephant.) As they watched Gus play on the first floor of the fair, they discussed bidding on a three-day vacation to a house in Rhinebeck, N.Y.
“I tend to be one of those who’s not greatly enthusiastic about the hoopla of the holidays,” Pease continued. “Giving should not be based on the time of year.” Thus, with the exception on the Tartan Fair, First Presbyterian’s efforts to aid those in need, which include a homeless shelter and a school for autistic children, are consistent through the whole year and not linked to the holidays. In Pease’s opinion, this long-term outlook isn’t uncommon. “That’s probably true of most Village churches,” he said.
Trinity’s Father Trzynka echoed Pease’s commitment to year-round outreach efforts. “We concern ourselves with the long haul,” he said.