‘Spreading the joy, not the virus’

When Harbor Crab’s owners, alongside the Patchogue Rotary Club, decided that they would indeed be hosting its annual Kris Kringle Fundraiser this holiday season, co-owner Mark Miller said he figured they may be able to raise $15,000 or $20,000.

In a short video announcing the fundraiser posted on Instagram on Dec. 1, Miller expresses that even if one family was able to be helped, then they reached their goal.

With this year’s annual fundraiser tallying up to over $107,000 — the most money that the fundraiser has collected in its 16-year history — Miller and the other owners at the Harbor Crab continue to express their pleasant surprise.

“We went out in the snowstorm with just a dozen of us instead of the normal 400 people,” Miller said. “We knocked on the people’s houses who had no idea we were coming. We sang a couple of Christmas songs with Santa, handed them a bag of gifts, and then pretended to walk away, only to return after a few steps to tell them we had one more thing for them.

"And then, after a countdown, that it wasn’t one more thing but maybe two, three, four, five… or $10,000 for them. As we present a giant oversized check and watch the surprise, dismay and confusion as we hand them $10,000.”

He added that they would knock on the doors of families that have met recent financial concerns.

“They were cruising along fine and working hard,” Miller said, “raising kids and doing all the things that most of us do, until they hit a serious bump in the road: a job loss, an injury, a temporary sickness, loss of a loved one, some type of event that happened that knocked them off the tracks. If someone would help them get back on the tracks, they could stay there by themselves. That’s the person that we’re trying to help.”

Ten of the selected recipients this time around work in the hospitality industry and generally are single mothers/fathers. A night of dinner and drinks among committee members suddenly turns into, for example, a waitress receiving a tip anywhere in the realm of $3,000 to $10,000.
“Not only are these industries hit the hardest, but the owners of these local pubs and restaurants are the most generous donors to the Kris Kringle movement,” Miller explained.

“Even when they’re getting kicked in the teeth left and right, they still never say no when somebody asks them for a gift certificate or to step up for a good cause. I guess that’s why they’re in the business they’re in.”

Miller said this year that coach Dave Nichols and his family were responsible for a considerable amount of donations. He explained receiving a phone call from Village of Patchogue mayor Paul Pontieri, who said that Nichols had reached out, expressing that he and his family would like to help.

“Not too many people in the Greater Patchogue area do not know the extended Nichols/Garone family,” Miller said. “They have been a beautiful addition to our Kris Kringle committee this year, doing most of the shopping and a good portion of fundraising.”

It is guaranteed that 100 percent of all the money raised goes toward these families in need. Miller explained that supplies of any kind in order to conduct the fundraiser were paid for privately.

“The Kris Kringle [Fundraiser] is a very time-consuming but rewarding process,” Miller said. “We try to give each recipient enough money and resources to make a real impact on their life. We are not trying to make their holidays better; we are trying to make their lives better.”