The variety of Lengthy Islanders dealing with meals insecurity is rising, specialists say.
Hauppauge-based Lengthy Island Cares places the present quantity at over 313,000 individuals. And Feeding America reported final week that in 2023, 240,470 struggled with meals insecurity, up from an estimated 221,190 in 2022.
These numbers are troubling, based on native leaders attempting to cease meals insecurity.
“Based mostly on the continued rise in site visitors on the six First Cease Meals Pantries we function, now we have seen a 30 p.c improve in neighbors in want during the last 18 months,” mentioned Jessica Rosati, vice chairman for packages and group companies at Lengthy Island Cares, and creator of the group’s newest food-insecurity report.
Randi Shubin Dresner, the president and CEO of Melville-based Island Harvest, mentioned in a information launch that the rise “is an pressing name to motion that calls for instant consideration from our representatives within the federal authorities.”
Specialists say meals insecurity has elevated for the reason that pandemic. Components embrace lingering unemployment and underemployment in addition to supply-chain disruptions and better meals prices, based on a 2024 report by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
The rising meals prices coupled with elevated healthcare prices in addition to federal cuts to food-bank funding make combating starvation much more difficult in a area the place the price of dwelling is excessive.
“Meals insecurity on Lengthy Island has intensified for the reason that pandemic, not improved,” Dresner mentioned. “The federal authorities’s reckless choice to chop spending on emergency meals packages is anticipated to additional improve these alarming numbers, together with the variety of households looking for the area’s emergency meals help system together with many who’ve by no means wanted such companies earlier than.”
And she or he mentioned, “the excessive value of dwelling within the area, mixed with constantly excessive grocery and on a regular basis necessities, is placing immense strain on working households, grandparents, and veterans, lots of whom are only one automobile restore, one medical emergency or one other disaster away from monetary hardship,” Dresner mentioned.
Of these looking for help from Lengthy Island Cares, 8 p.c have a family earnings of between $50,000 and $74,999, 33 p.c earn between $25,000 and $49,999, and 58 p.c earn $24,999 or much less, based on the group’s report.
Lengthy Island Cares discovered that of these looking for help, 15 p.c had been employed full-time, 19 p.c had been retired, 20 p.c not employed however on the lookout for work, whereas 30 p.c had been employed part-time. There have been 5 p.c who had been neither employed nor looking for work, and 11 p.c who had been disabled and unable to work.
Island Harvest distributed roughly 18.3 million kilos of meals in 2024. It’s on monitor to distribute 20 million kilos in 2025 via its community of greater than 300 member businesses and direct service packages to youngsters, senior residents, and veterans.
Lengthy Island Cares distributed greater than 16 million kilos of meals in 2024, up from over 14.5 million in 2023. And this yr, from January via April, it already distributed greater than 5.1 million kilos of meals. The group serves 325 pantries, soup kitchens and different meals suppliers.
“Extra persons are turning to us and the meals pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and different shops we offer with meals, to maintain their households as a result of they will not afford even the fundamentals,” Rosati mentioned. “This improve in want, coupled with different elements that contribute to meals insecurity, is difficult Lengthy Island Cares and our companions to maintain up with demand.”
In accordance with Dresner, one in 12 Lengthy Islanders skilled meals insecurity in 2023, up from one in 13 in 2022. Nevertheless, the kid meals insecurity charge on Lengthy Island remained flat.
