Nearly 60 volunteers assembled in the parish hall of in Glen Cove Thursday for a meeting to "dot the i's and cross the t's," in anticipation of a work force five times that number, which will look to surpass of over 5,000 meatballs, several thousand sausage heroes and 200 trays of eggplant, according to feast chairman Reginald Spinello.
The meeting was one of several to come in preparation for the feast's July 31 start date, and was attended by volunteers from a mix of residents and city employees who will assist with emergency standby from the police, EMS and Fire Department, among other functions which were discussed.
But the business of the feast will rely on nearly 300 volunteers and the local business community to produce its traditional fare, which ranges from sausage and pepper heroes to the homemade sauce in the parish-hall-turned-Italian-buffet.
"It's really like opening a large business," said Spinello. "You check where you can buy things to make it more profitable, you see where you can generate more revenue to you can find more sources."
Spinello said that aside from prioritizing local businesses in purchasing supplies, the feast profits are necessary to continue the charitable efforts through the church, such as the food pantry.
"Unlike other parishes, the large part of our revenue does not come from the weekly collections, so fundraising is more important to us," he said.
