As holiday gift-hunting switches to high gear today, the traditionally busiest shopping day of the year, a local Christian non-profit organization is hoping residents remember those who will not receive an abundance of presents this year.

Farmingdale-based Hope for the Future Ministries is currently collecting new gifts to be distributed to the less fortunate during the holidays. Organizers are expecting to help thousands of people throughout the next few weeks, and are looking for donations of the following new items: warm hats and scarves, thermal gloves and socks, thermal underwear, sweatshirts and sweat pants, toiletries and toys. (Used clothing will not be accepted.) New gifts, unwrapped with price tags removed, may be brought to the organization's headquarters at 131 Verdi Street, Farmingdale. The need is great, according to Rev. Diane Dunne, the organization's director. For example, she said in an interview Thursday, "In Hempstead, we have a lot of moms with kids - we have a ton of young kids, and they all have a [long] list for Christmas. The parents don't have the money." She noted that donations of gifts annually help fulfill these children's wishes.

The ministry, which also feeds about 2,000 hungry people a week on Long Island and in Manhattan, is fueled by the help of between 3,000 and 5,000 volunteers a year, most of whom are members of local community organizations and churches. It was started 12 years ago by Dunne, a Massapequa Park resident and Brooklyn native, who at the time was employed in Manhattan. Seeing the hungry and homeless on the streets of New York City while traveling to and from her sales job, "broke her heart," she said. She started the ministry with 90 sandwiches, and it has been growing ever since then.

Hope for the Future's food warehouse, kitchen and offices are located in the industrial section of Farmingdale off Allen Blvd., but all of its outreach takes place on the street. On Long Island, the ministry offers food, clothing and an optional Christian church service on a sidewalk near the LIRR station in Hempstead. In Manhattan, the ministry serves the poor and homeless every Saturday on the corner of Avenue C and 9th Street on the Lower East Side, as well as offering the street church service.

The organization also does outreach specifically geared to senior citizens. Explaining the need for this, Dunne said, "They're devoid of hugs. They're devoid of love. Even though they have families, a lot of senior citizens have been put aside. Nobody wants to bother with them anymore." The ministry's pantry program provides groceries to 150 senior citizens. "You can't pretend the homeless don't exist, you can't pretend the poor don't exist, and you can't pretend the elderly don't exist. They're here and they're our responsibility - to take care of them and to help them through," added Dunne.

Hope for the Future also sponsors an inner-city youth group, which is led by Sheryl Butterworth, a missionary who is originally from South Africa.

When not interfacing with the poor, staff and volunteers spend much of their time rotating freshness-dated food, as well as preparing meals at the warehouse, according to Dunne. The holiday season is especially busy, and the director noted that she and other full-time staff regularly work 11 hours a day, 7 days a week during the holiday season. She added that the organization greatly needs additional volunteers.

Before leaving Farmingdale to bring food to the city's homeless on Saturday, Al Saponieri of Selden, who volunteers with his wife, Nancy, shared his personal experience of the community service. He noted that it has enabled the couple to make a direct difference in the lives of others. "The first time I did it I was surprised with the amount of food they give away. The people go away with arm-loads of food," he said. "They actually eat the food right there, and you know that they needed it."

Those seeking further information about donating to, or volunteering at, Hope for the Future Ministries may call (516) 752-5771.