Pat-Med Youth Services Center help community thrive

The Patchogue Medford Youth Services Center is a nonprofit that has been serving the Pat-Med community since 1982. We caught up with executive director Kourtney Bevis to learn more about upcoming events and programming. The center is located at 390 Bay Avenue in Patchogue.

FOOD PANTRY
The center recently received a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to create a food relief effort by “rescuing” excess food. This means that local eateries in the Pat-Med area partner with the center and donate any extra food that would otherwise be thrown out. Places that participate in this program include Small Cakes, Goldberg’s Bagels and Swan Bakery, all located in Patchogue. Bevis said the program is great because it helps local families and means less waste in the world.

The food pantry also accepts donations from individuals and organizations in the community. Toiletries are also accepted as they are very hard to come by, Bevis said. The food pantry is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

CLOTHING CLOSET
Beginning April 5, the center’s clothing closet will be open by appointment only due to social-distancing restraints. Anyone interested in making an appointment is asked to call 631-758-4100. The clothing closet accepts lightly used clothing donations and is completely free.

PROGRAMMING
On Monday, April 5, in-person programming will begin at the center. The programming is as follows: Mondays 5-6 p.m., Big Chefs; Tuesdays 5-6 p.m., Little Chefs; Wednesdays 5-6 p.m., Silly Science; Thursdays 5-6 p.m., Crafts. Registration for this programming began March 15. Interested individuals are asked to visit pmycs.org or call 631-758-4100 for more information.

The center is also offering virtual teen chat groups weekly. The High School Teen Chat Group meets virtually on Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m. Beginning in April, there will be a Middle School Chat Group available on Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. Anyone interested in joining the chat groups is asked to contact gabby@pmycs.org.

In addition to individual, couple or family counseling available for all ages, bilingual counseling is now available at the center. Mental health counselor Rocio Lopez Fontela is the bilingual counselor and is in the office Monday through Friday.

Bevis said that it is important to have someone bilingual on the staff as well as just having a diverse staff.

“We want to make sure our clients are heard, understood and that there’s not a loss of translation,” Bevis said. “We do serve a lot of people that English is not their first language.”

Anyone wishing to make an appointment with a counselor is asked to call 631-758-4100.