Stargazing, Food Drive Come Together At Robert Moses For ‘No Space For Hunger’

LONG ISLAND, NY — Local astronomy clubs, Hauppauge High School students and Long Island Cares volunteers will come together Friday at Robert Moses State Park for the third annual No Space for Hunger, a stargazing event and food drive benefiting Long Islanders in need.

South Huntington resident Don Simon has spent years setting up telescopes at parks, beaches and community events, giving people the chance to see the craters of the moon, Saturn's rings and stars otherwise hidden from view. He had also spent about two decades volunteering with Long Island Cares.

Eventually, he said, "It just kind of dawned on me to try to marry the two things."

The idea became No Space for Hunger, an annual event that combines a night of public stargazing with a food drive benefiting Long Island Cares.

The event returns for its third year Oct. 23, at Robert Moses State Park's Field 2. Members of the Astronomical Society of Long Island and Amateur Observers' Society of New York will bring telescopes for visitors, while attendees are encouraged to bring food or make a financial donation to Long Island Cares.

Simon, a member of both astronomy organizations, said more than 25 people had committed as of Monday to bringing telescopes or helping with this year's event.

He said the concept grew from the public outreach nights he regularly participates in with the two clubs.

"We set up our telescopes, and the public comes and looks through, and they really enjoy what they see," Simon told Patch.

After enough of those events, Simon began wondering whether the same interest could be directed toward helping people in need.

"These people seem to enjoy it enough that I thought that they would be willing to bring food donations for Long Island Cares," he said.

The first No Space for Hunger was held at Sunken Meadow State Park in November 2024. More than 20 astronomy club members turned out, Simon said, but Mother Nature did not cooperate. The sky was only usable for about an hour, and winds of roughly 40 mph eventually forced organizers to shut down.

The turnout from the public was modest, Simon recalled, but he came away convinced that the idea itself worked.

The event moved to Robert Moses State Park the following year. Once again, the weather brought difficult skies and heavy winds, but Simon said the food drive still collected about 1,200 pounds of food, along with several hundred dollars in monetary donations.

This year, organizers are again hoping curiosity about the night sky translates into help for Long Islanders experiencing food insecurity.

There is no admission charge. Simon said visitors can instead bring canned food, boxes of pasta or other food donations, or make a financial contribution.

"It seemed like a pretty natural thing to ask people to come look through telescopes, and bring a few cans of food or boxes of pasta or make a small financial donation," he said.

Hauppauge Students Join In

Among those expected to participate this year are members of Hauppauge High School's astronomy club.

Science teacher Jeff Yablon, a longtime Long Island Cares board member, said the school's involvement grew naturally from his connections to both science education and the hunger-relief organization.

The high school's astronomy club itself began about four years ago, after a student approached Yablon and asked whether he would help start one.

"If a high school student has an interest in something and asks you to help — you do it!" Yablon told Patch.

The students initially conducted astronomy activities on the school campus. Traveling elsewhere was more difficult because, Yablon said, transportation costs for students can be high.

When Simon developed the idea for an astronomy night that doubled as a Long Island Cares food drive — Yablon said he immediately embraced it. He began pitching the event not only to his own students, but also to science teachers across Nassau and Suffolk counties.

This year, Yablon expects about 18 to 25 Hauppauge High School students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, to participate.

"Once they see what is actually happening and that they can make a difference in someone's life, they get pretty excited," Yablon said.

Students can also earn community service hours, but Yablon said the goal goes beyond fulfilling a graduation requirement.

He wants them to understand how many Long Islanders struggle with access to food — and to understand that they themselves have the ability to help.

"Awareness is extremely important," Yablon said. "Compassion for others in any form helps you to be a better person within your family and the larger community and maybe the world. Service to others is extremely rewarding, and when they feel that experience firsthand, there is really no turning back."

For a science teacher, he said, No Space for Hunger also offers the unusual opportunity to combine two missions he cares about.

"Getting students excited about science is the best part of the teaching job," Yablon said.

Seeing Saturn For The First Time

Simon said one of the appeals of astronomy outreach is watching people encounter familiar objects in an entirely different way.

He said visitors Friday should be able to see much more detail on the moon than is visible with the naked eye, including craters and shadows across its surface.

Saturn is another object that often gets a reaction.

People know the planet has rings, Simon said, but seeing them with their own eyes through a telescope can still be startling.

He recalled an outreach event at a Garden City senior center where an 82-year-old woman named Pat looked through a telescope at Saturn.

She told him she had gone her entire life without seeing the planet's rings through a telescope and could finally say that she had.

"Some people are really, like, emotionally moved by what they see, especially the older people," Simon said. "For the kids, it sparks the interest. For the adults, I think, it gives them a real appreciation for the science of it."

Simon, 66, said he had been interested in astronomy since childhood but did not become deeply involved until later in life.

"It still amazes me how much there is to discover and learn about this stuff," he said.

Visitors may arrive to see Saturn, study the moon or simply find out what a telescope can reveal. Simon hopes they leave with a greater appreciation for both the night sky and the opportunity to help their neighbors.

At Robert Moses, away from many of the lights surrounding homes and businesses, visitors can see far more of the night sky.

"Even just an awareness of how beautiful a night sky can still be," Simon said, is something he hopes people take from the experience.

Simon maintains a No Space for Hunger Facebook group where organizers post information about the event, including weather-related updates.

Simon said the event remains a combination of showing people what's above them and helping people around them.

"It's not too late to learn," Simon said. "It still amazes me how much there is to discover and learn about this stuff."