Patricia J. McCabe

Patricia “Patti” J. McCabe is a life-long resident of Rockaway, Queens, who has had a long and rewarding career with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and is extremely active in her community. Through both her work and her personal commitment to serving the needs of others, Ms. McCabe makes a difference every day in the lives of Rockaway families, FDNY firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

After working for FDNY for 17 years in many different capacities, Ms. McCabe now serves as the Administrative Manager to the Chief of the Fire Academy. Over the years, Ms. McCabe and her co-workers have created a tradition of providing Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and gifts to families in need.

Beginning in 2007, Ms. McCabe became involved in providing food and gifts to a family whose child was battling leukemia. The next year, her coworkers asked, “Who are we taking care of this year?” Since then, with the generous help of colleagues, friends, the Rockaway Greybeards organization, and her own family members, Ms. McCabe has been able to offer Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and joy to hundreds of families.

Ms. McCabe’s community activism is not limited to holiday helping hands, however; she also reaches out to local churches and her support network when local people are facing personal financial emergencies, suffering from cancer, or are otherwise in need. Ms. McCabe knows she is making a difference when she contacts a family with offers of dinner or other aid, and they respond, “I didn’t know what we were going to do. Thank you.”

A parishioner of St. Rose of Lima RC Church in Rockaway, Ms. McCabe has been married to her husband, Frank, for 35 years, and they have a son, James. He and his fiancée, Nicole, have a daughter, Gabriella, who is the light of Ms. McCabe’s life. She is also blessed with a wonderful mother, Patricia Tuite.