Colleen Pearce

Colleen Pearce was born in the Bronx, New York and moved to Woodbury in the mid-1970s after marrying her husband, Jay. Around a decade later, they opened Jay’s Deli together. Jay’s Deli, which started as a small Mom and Pop store for everyday needs, quickly became the community hub in Woodbury due to Ms. Pearce’s compassionate leadership. The Deli is often described as Woodbury’s own version of “Cheers,” because of the uplifting and familial atmosphere.

Ms. Pearce, who describes her customers as part of her family, is known by the community as an individual of dedication. Whenever someone passes away, a house is damaged by a storm, or there is any unfortunate event causing sorrow in the community, she goes above and beyond to make sure the affected families are taken care of. She sends them platters of food to help get them through periods of hardship. Ms. Pearce, however, is never the face of her own philanthropy. She is the person behind-the-scenes doing the hands-on work needed to get the project done; she is the one preparing the food, setting up the platters, and organizing the deliveries. Her reputation has resulted in being the person families turn to when they need food for their most important events.

Ms. Pearce’s commitment to her community does not stop there; she provides pizzas to the local sports teams, caters endless community events, and organizes extensive food drives and donation drops. Last year she was honored by the Woodbury Fire Department as Honorary Chief on “Colleen Pearce Day,” for her selfless, comprehensive, and steadfast work for the elderly community.

Ms. Pearce is very much the glue of her community, bringing people together in an environment that only she is capable of fostering. Ms. Pearce, whose interests go beyond running the Deli, loves art, sculpture, and stained glass. She resides in Orange County, New York and has two children and five grandchildren.