The Drive-In

Creativity can help solve problems. Mix creativity with generosity, and you have The Kids Need More Drive-In Movie Night, a charity event held in the parking lot of Costello's Ace Hardware in Copiague, New York.

Al Littmann is the Manager of Costello's Ace Hardware. Together with Johnny Ray, the Chief Financial Officer of the Kids Need More organization, they were able to organize an event that was fun for everyone involved and helped raise money for kids and families in need.

"Kids Need More is about providing fun and friendship to children who are coping with the trauma of serious illness throughout their hardships," said Melissa Firmes, Executive Director, Kids Need More.

"In 2020, when the world was shut down due to that terrible pandemic, it shut our funding sources down," said Johnny. "We had no live events for funding and it shut our services down. We couldn't have camps. So we talked with Al and we came up with this idea of doing this great service for the community: drive-in movies."

"Johnny asked 'Hey, can we use your parking lot to show a drive-in movie?'" said Al. "The first one we did was in August, and it was a beautiful night."

The event was a great activity for families, who can participate for a donation of any amount. In addition to the movie showing, there is a tent, hotdogs on the grill, popcorn, and a concession stand where everything is only $1. The drive-in events have raised over $13,000 for Kids Need More.

"We figured we'd just do it for the pandemic," said Johnny. "People enjoyed it so much that we kept doing it by popular demand. Al was instrumental in making that happen. They're not just helpful hardware folks, they're folks who care."

"What Al has done here with Kids Need More aligns with the values of our company," said Joey Costello, Marketing Director of Costello's Ace Hardware. "My father instilled in us at a very young age to give back. The value of people is so much greater than the value of a product or money."