LI Mother, Son Collecting Food, Money For Long Island Cares With Party: 'Huge Impact'

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY — Donna Drake's annual Live It Up Fest parties have become a family affair.

For the 11th year, Drake, an internationally syndicated TV talk show host, is set to host a party in her Huntington Station backyard where she only asks her dozens of guests to donate food and money to Long Island Cares for the purpose of fighting food insecurity.

Her son, Matthew Dunninger, a 17-year-old senior at Half Hollow Hills West High School, has slowly taken the reigns. He and his classmates are taking a huge step in organizing the party, which is always on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

Dunninger said everyone needs food, but a lot of people lack it.

"You’re talking about food deserts," he told Patch. "A lot of people don’t have access to healthy, affordable food. Especially nowadays where a lot of people have to pick between food and medicine. I figured food is something that a lot of people can access and donate with more ease than other causes, and it still makes a huge impact."

Drake, who hosts "The Donna Drake Show," has been helping Long Island Cares for 30 years. Live It Up Fest has grown over the past decade after she started it to help people get involved with Long Island Cares, which she said is one of her favorite charities.

"They’ve always been so amazing and so gracious," Drake said. "This is my way of doing something fun for the community where I’m bringing awareness not just to Long Island Cares, but I also bring awareness to the restaurants and the organizations that are participating in this food drive."

Each year, Drake and Dunninger invite between 100 and 200 people to the home. Drake brings in a DJ, the Forest Pork Store of Huntington Station donates meat, a Deer Park bakery donates desserts, and more than 20 other businesses also get involved.

People can enjoy a night of food and music, and all the family asks in return is that they donate food and money to Long Island Cares.

Last year, they collected 288 pounds of food and between $500 to $600 in cash. Sometimes, they reach $1,000.

Fighting food insecurity, Drake said, brings her personal joy.

"I grew up in a neighborhood where you could borrow a cup of sugar from your neighbor and never pay it back," she said. "For me, it gives me that feeling of being a good neighbor, which satisfies me on a deep, soulful level. It’s like that. It’s like being there for your next door neighbor."

Soon after Drake moved from St. Louis to Long Island, she met a woman who introduced her to Long Island Cares. She has since created corporate image videos for them, participated in Harry Chapin events, and written television commercials for the nonprofit.

"There are a lot of charities, but Long Island Cares doesn’t discriminate against anyone," Drake said. "They’re so inclusive. No matter what it is. Hunger can unite everybody. How can you not want to support hunger? To me, that is such a basic thing that aligns everybody. Everybody wants to see people have nutrition, because without that, they die. To me, it’s one of my favorite charities, because no matter what walk of life someone is in or what journey they’re on, they should never go hungry. Never."

The respect Long Island Cares has for its clientele is important to Drake.

"They respect the privacy, the integrity of the people they work with. It’s never the haves and have nots. It’s always 'we,' it’s always 'us.' It’s a beautiful thing. The volunteers are always fantastic."

Drake noted that Long Island Cares offers space to other nonprofits.

"They’re a leader in any and all forms. They’re 100 percent heart."

Dunninger has been helping his mother with the parties each year since he was a child. His passion for helping people in need of food has only grown since.

A couple of years ago, his father started taking him to collect food and participate in food drives at local supermarkets.

"I really enjoyed it," he said. "I felt really rewarded doing it. I knew my mom had [a party] every year. I said, 'Me and my friends are older. We can do more to contribute.' Last year, I kind of took over. I thought I could make more of an impact if I got people my age involved."

This year, Dunninger requested donations from different clubs at his high school, as well as placed food collection boxes inside the building. He plans to take those donations to Long Island Cares in addition to what the Live It Up Fest raises.

Drake is proud of her son for assuming the mantle of helping Long Island Cares — a cause near and dear to her heart for a long time.

"Matthew has always been an 'other centered person," Drake said. "He is a leader and a scholar. Under his dedicated efforts all is possible. I love being his mom. I have three children and they are the best bunch!"

The Live It Up Fest parties come at a crucial time each year, said Billy Gonyou, who handles food drives for Long Island Cares.

"As we near the end of the school year, families find themselves more in need as their children no longer have access to free/reduced breakfast/lunch at school," Gonyou said. "Families find their grocery bills increasing, but unable to keep up with the need. Food donations are incredibly important during these crucial months to help fill our pantries and in turn, fill the tables of these families."

Drake's annual drives help provide Long Island's food-insecure population with food items they may be unable to secure elsewhere, according to Gonyou.

"Long Island Cares, Inc. – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank is incredibly grateful for Donna’s ongoing support that has spanned over a decade," he said. "Donors like Donna truly make a difference in the lives of our neighbors."

In 2022, there was an "alarming" year-over-year increase in hunger and food insecurity on Long Island, Dr. Jessica Rosati, vice president of programs at Long Island Cares, previously told Patch.

Last year, Long Island Cares distributed 1,041,765 meals to 115,699 visitors, some of whom were repeats, at its five satellites across the island. In 2021, those numbers were 647,844 meals given to 73,896 visitors. The food bank handed out 60 percent more meals last year than in 2021.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness in our local communities of hunger, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks and 60,000 local meals programs across the country, estimates that nearly 34 million people, including 9 million children — about 1 in 6 Americans — are living with food insecurity. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.