$71K raised for homeless veterans at Great Neck gala

General Needs, a Long Island nonprofit dedicated to serving homeless veterans, recently raised $71,000 at its second annual fundraising gala at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck. More than 200 guests attended the event and the money raised will help provide veterans with essentials such as clothing, shoes and personal care items.

The evening also paid tribute to two longtime champions of veterans: Elmont resident Ralph Esposito, director of Nassau County’s Veterans’ Service Agency, and Arnold T. Quaranta Jr., of the Ronkonkoma Rotary Club. Both men were recognized for decades of service helping veterans in their community.

“Through his collaborative leadership style and dedication to veteran equality, Ralph Esposito continues to make an indelible impact on the lives of Nassau County veterans and their families,” said Susan Sherman, who founded General Needs in 2008 with her husband Lonnie. “General Needs is proud to recognize Ralph for his relentless advocacy, genuine compassion and lifelong dedication to service.”

In addition to working with veterans on Long Island, Quaranta has an extensive background of humanitarian work, including helping administer polio vaccinations in India and reviving a vocational center in the Dominican Republic.

“Arnie’s legacy is one of deep purpose, real humility, and wildly contagious generosity,” Lonnie Sherman added. “General Needs is proud to honor him, not just for what he’s done, but for the way he does it: with grit, grace, and no-nonsense.”