The Coney Island Lighthouse Mission is dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty in our community. We work to provide for the immediate needs of the poor, hungry, and homeless in Coney Island while moving people toward self-sufficiency.

Description and/or History:
The Lighthouse Mission provides emergency food to all community members in need through our food pantry and soup kitchen. We distribute groceries twice a week and serve hot meals every Friday. Recently we have begun providing free screening for public benefits to move clients beyond our emergency services. Last year we were able to assist our clients in accessing over $200,000 worth of food stamps! We also host an after-school program five days a week with homework assistance and activities for students aged 5-13. Through these programs as well as ESL and GED training, drug/alcohol counseling, job preparation, computer classes, and other opportunities, the Mission aims to offer a comprehensive range of services to most effectively help our community.
The Lighthouse Mission was founded in 2002 by Pastor Vince Fusco and others involved with the New Jerusalem City Church. We moved to our current location in 2004 after obtaining permanent space through the generosity of the church. Since then we have significantly improved and renovated our facilities, added new programs, expanded our hours open to clients, and increased the number of families served from 360 to 1,600. Each month over 4000 people receive our services.

Contact people:

Vincent Fusco, Executive Director, (718) 415-1170, (email) Denise Robbins, Program Coordinator, (718) 415-1170, (email) Winnie Huang, AmeriCorps, (718) 415-1170, (email)

Address:

2114 Mermaid Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11224 (See a map)

Directions:

We are located on Mermaid Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets. Take the D/F/N/Q train to Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island and travel 7 blocks west on Mermaid.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Stillwell Avenue,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5-10