Bishop Norris Porter, who served the Huntington community for more than 50 years, has died.
Born in 1939, Porter lived most of his life in Huntington, graduating from Walt Whitman High School and eventually becoming a minister. He led the Christian Charities Deliverance Church in Huntington before retiring.
“He was a great man. He tried to help out every aspect of the community,” said Al White, who worked with him on several projects.
Porter and Pastor Fermin Trejo of Iglesia Luz de Salvacion in Huntington Station formed the Porter-Trejo Action Network in about 2010, White said, which operated for about nine years, working with grassroots volunteers and in alliance with other churches to improve lives.
“He worked on housing, jobs, food, he was a really great man,” White said, “He would go to the food pantries to help the sick and shut-ins. He helped people addicted to drugs, get them into rehab and get them back on their feet. He got their souls back into them.”
Porter also had a radio program where he took complaints and problems from listeners who needed help.
“He had very far-reaching ideas about impacting the community,” said Jillian Guthman, town receiver of taxes. He was a grassroots voice for the black community.”