By Julianne Mosher
A local food pantry is seeking out volunteers to prevent closing its doors.
For more than 40 years, the Island Heart Food Pantry in Middle Island — a mission of the Mt. Sinai Congregational Church — has served thousands of people across Long Island. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, the pantry has not been able to fully recover after a significant loss of volunteers — all while still needing to help feed the food insecure.
Director of the pantry Kathy Lahey said that in 2023, Island Heart served 24,000 people and, prior to the pandemic, they had roughly 40 volunteers on site. They were open several days a week, which allowed those struggling to stop in and “shop” its shelves filled with fresh produce, dairy, groceries and hygiene products. However, during the pandemic, they needed to change their model to a drive-up service where volunteers would package a box of goods depending on a family’s size and bring it out to their cars outside of the building. That model still applies today, but due to the lessened number of help, they are only able to stay open one day a week.
As of now, they are only open on Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. But despite being open for just three hours, in September the pantry served 354 families — 1,604 individuals in total.
“During COVID, we were getting a lot of help from donors and it was great,” Lahey said. “But once COVID ended, the number of people in need hasn’t gone down, but the donations and volunteers have.”
Lahey said that many of the volunteers moved away, have aged out or simply decided not to come back and since then, they’ve had a hard time staffing the pantry, operating solely on a skeleton crew.
“We’re one of the biggest pantries in Suffolk County,” she added. “We’re very active and a much-needed resource so we really need people to step up and help.”
Part of the volunteer search includes the crucial role of finding someone who has a large truck or vehicle. Lahey said they are in dire need of individuals who are able to pick up food from the Long Island Cares food pantry in Hauppauge as well as donations from Trader Joe’s in Lake Grove to bring back to the pantry, unload and stock the shelves on a weekly basis.
“I’ve reached out to colleges, high schools, but we need people involved who want to stay with us,” she added. “It takes a village. It’s not just the church — we need the community at large to come in and help their neighbors in need.”
According to Long Island Cares, 234,000 Long Islanders are food insecure with 65,000 estimated to be children. Approximately 40 percent of these households are above the poverty level, but do not make enough to keep up with the high cost of living in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Paule Pachter, president and CEO of Long Island Cares, said that their food bank offers nonperishable and perishable foods focusing on 19 staples including rice, eggs, pasta, soup, peanut butter and other groceries that provide a complete and healthy meal. The organization provides food and funding to 336 agencies consisting of nearly 300 local, community-based emergency food pantries in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
“Most of our food pantries operate on a client-choice model that allows families to select the food they want. As Long Island’s regional food bank, we provide food that is ordered from our online menu, and many of our agencies recommend the foods we should purchase,” Pachter said. “Since many people struggling with food insecurity also have medical issues, such as diabetes, obesity and heart problems, it’s crucial that the food we provide is nutritious, low-fat, low-sugar, protein-rich and more.”
Lahey said that the local food banks and the donations from Trader Joe’s “have been amazing to work with.”
So, as the cooler weather approaches and the holiday season starts to creep in, donating time (or food!) is welcomed at Island Heart Food Pantry.
“The guests are super nice and super grateful … You get to know them and their families and you feel good about yourself,” Lahey said. “You’re definitely making a difference whether it be for an hour, two or three. Whatever you can give, you’ll feel good about it at the end. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”
Island Heart Food Pantry is located at 643 Middle Country Rd, Middle Island. Volunteers are needed to assist with their weekly food pick-up from Long Island Cares at 10 Davids Drive, Hauppauge, to the pantry in Middle Island on either Tuesday or Wednesday. A large vehicle/truck is needed. They are also in need of a Wednesday morning pick-up/delivery person around 10 a.m. from Trader Joe’s near Smith Haven Mall to the pantry in Middle Island. Both positions can be on a weekly or an intermittent basis.
For more information, please call 631-473-1582.
