Susan Sherman, Co-Founder and Secretary of General Needs Ltd, wears many hats. While Lonnie works as the face of General Needs, she acts as the behind-the-scenes administrator of General Needs. When Lonnie first started volunteering at the Northport VA serving meals, he began to speak to the veterans he served, he was asked for underwear. After delivering underwear to these veterans, he quickly became known as the “underwear guy.” After doing multiple deliveries of underwear and socks, they’ve grown and evolved to follow veterans through their journey.
After starting General Needs, Susan noticed how other non-profits would donate, dumping used clothing from garbage bags onto a table for veterans to sort through. This lack of respect for the people other nonprofits were serving made her want to differentiate General Needs into an organization that emphasizes “Distribution with Dignity,” always making sure to distribute new clothes, pre-sorted by size. She also notes that these are not hand-outs, but hand-ups.
Susan’s favorite memories since starting General Needs have been the community barbecues at the Northport VA. Friday evenings in the summer, they would have gatherings with food, music, and even an ice cream truck. They would invite donors, friends, and veterans to all eat together and enjoy themselves. To Susan, it never felt like a volunteer event, but a community block party. She hopes to get back to doing these once the pandemic is over.
Susan is most proud of General Needs’ evolution. Since beginning as an organization that serves veterans in only emergency centers, they have grown to accompany every veteran on Long Island throughout their transition to having a home. From processing bed referrals for new full sizes beds to be supplied and delivered throughout the NY Tri-State area. In 2020, General Needs supplied 54 beds as well as over 4000 meals during COVID from local restaurants. General Needs is always striving to do more for the veterans they serve.
