Local Food Banks
Caring Committee
Community Resources *
Please call ahead to verify.
Long Island Cares
One of the region’s most comprehensive hunger assistance organizations, serving thousands of individuals and families in need. Our mission is to bring together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry on Long Island, and provide to the best of our ability for the humanitarian needs of our community. Award-winning songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin, our organization now provides nutritional food and support services for a network of more than 580 community-based member agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, child care programs, disability organizations, veterans’ services programs and more.
LI Cares distributes food through a network of member agencies located in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York. Member agencies distribute food to individuals who need food assistance. PLEASE CONTACT OUR LOCATION NEAREST TO YOUR HOME BEFORE VISITING. PLEASE ALLOW 24-48 HOURS FOR A RESPONSE.
To access a local Food Pantry near you click here , scroll down and add your zipcode to find location, OR call 631-582-FOOD.
Baxter’s Pet Pantry operated by Long Island Cares, Inc. – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, which was developed in partnership with the Animal Relief Fund Inc. (ARF), makes free pet food and pet supplies available to pet-owning families in need.* The pet food and supplies are supplied by ARF and many pet food corporations. corporate partners at PETCO, Pet Supplies Plus, Target, VCA Animal Hospitals, Pet Smart and Walmart for their very generous monthly donations of pet food and toys to Baxter’s Pet Pantry. Available to Nassau and Suffolk Counties residents only. https://www.licares.org/get-to-know-us/our-programs/pet-pantry/ | Make an appointment: 631-582-FOOD
The Long Island Cares’ Mobile Outreach Resource Enterprise (MORE) provides information, referral assistance and emergency food to people when their neighborhood pantries are not open – in user-friendly locations such as libraries, parks and shopping centers – bringing more food and resources directly to people in need. Qualifications: Homebound senior, Disabled vet, Disabled with medical condition
Long Island Cares also works to address the root causes of hunger through: Community outreach programs such as New Paths to Achievement and job training. These programs work with individuals most at risk of needing emergency food assistance during their lifetime, helping them acquire job skills and confidence, which are necessary to achieve self-sufficiency. Our Children’s Nutrition Programs, including the Kid’s Café After School Food and Mentoring Program, Pack It Up For Kids weekend food program, and Summer Food Service Program.
Veterans’ Services, which offer a variety of support services to veterans and their families who might be experiencing difficulties returning to the workforce, financial hardships or food insecurity.
10 Davids Drive (Harry Chapin Way)
Hauppauge, NY 11788-2039
Phone 631-582-FOOD
Fax 631-273-2184
163-1 North Wellwood Avenue
Lindenhurst, NY 11757-4072
Phone 631-991-8106
Fax 631-991-8109
Island Harvest
516-294-8528 - Nassau
631-873-4775 - Suffolk
Island Harvest was created in 1992 by one woman with a cooler, a station wagon, and a strong desire to help people in need. Linda Breitstone, our founder, was infuriated that food from a local convenience store was being thrown away at the end of the day – with a safe house for women and children down the street. In response, she established Island Harvest and our mission, “to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island.” Island Harvest has become Long Island’s largest hunger-relief organization. Our volunteers and staff now deliver millions of pounds of good, surplus food – much of which might otherwise go to waste – to a network of 570 Long Island-based food pantries, soup kitchens and other non-profit organizations that offer feeding services for those in need.
“It takes more than food to fight hunger, and Island Harvest Food Bank provides a variety of programs to meet those needs.”
Island Harvest Food Bank’s dedicated staff, board members, community and corporate volunteers, as well as local schoolchildren, are hard at work at our Healthy Harvest Farm, located on two acres of farmland at the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood. This land is used as a learning model, as well as to provide increased access to healthy produce for more than 300,000 Long Islanders who are affected by hunger and poverty. The Island Harvest Food Bank Giving Gardens are created through partnerships with local businesses, schools, communities and more. Each is uniquely designed to educate the community of the benefits of healthy eating while also learning the skills of gardening.
https://www.islandharvest.org/find-help/find-a-food-pantry/
Text your zip code to 631-450-3775 for a list of pantries in your area.
Senior Mobile Food Pantry: Island Harvest schedules regular weekly distributions directly to individual clients who live in low income neighborhoods or senior housing developments. The food is off loaded from the mobile pantry and distributed in pre-sorted packages of food or even set up on large folding tables so that the clients can “shop” for food, choosing items they need. Harvest understands that the root causes of hunger may vary so in addition to food, the mobile food pantry partners with other agencies to bring needed experts help. These Island Harvest and partner specialists will accompany the mobile food pantry and offer benefit information and application assistance, streamlined referrals to community organizations, nutritious cooking demonstrations, healthy living workshops, etc. Contact John Maher at 516-967-3414 or for pantry locations.
Veterans
https://www.islandharvest.org/veterans/
Those who have served our nation in combat often face exceptional obstacles readjusting to civilian life. These may range from severe physical injuries to post traumatic stress disorder, or even the challenges of beginning new careers in a weak economy.
Families of those serving, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice, often have difficulties making ends meet, some may bear the psychological scars of extended absences or lost loved one.
Operation: HOPE – To help the many who are struggling and in need of food assistance, Island Harvest launched Operation: HOPE – a program specifically designed to assist veterans and the families of active duty personnel deployed overseas. Operation: HOPE delivers food and supplies to the doors of Long Island veterans and their families. In addition, Operation: HOPE volunteers and staff provide information and referrals to link veterans and military families with benefits and services that can help them. This service is offered to veterans, spouses, or widows of veterans. To learn more, please contact John Maher at 516-967-3414 or
Harvest To Home - Time Limited grant program for veterans who reside in the Town of Hempstead. - (Ends December 2020). Ready made meals are provided: 7 packaged breakfasts and dinners each week. To qualify, you must meet any of the following criteria: age 55, a veteran, diagnosed with Covid or disabled. Contact 516-294-8528 or email: a
SNAP RESOURCES
https://www.islandharvest.org/snap-resources/
For more information: Visit otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is an entitlement program that provides people with the money they need for food. Eligibility for SNAP is based on income and our SNAP Coordinators are able to screen all clients to help determine what services are available to them.
Our SNAP Coordinators are available to speak with clients over the phone at their convenience, as well as meet them in the community at trusted partner sites, such as libraries, health centers, senior centers, schools, etc. We are able to help clients in English, Spanish or Creole.
SNAP is only one of the many services our team is able to connect clients to. Often clients have additional concerns outside of food. Our team are experts in the area of community resource referrals. During each screening, we will be able to provide referrals to clients to local food pantries and other community resources (housing, furniture, employment, education, etc) that are available across Long Island.
For further information about this program, please contact Taisha Freeman, SNAP and Community Resource Supervisor, or 631-873-4775.
Food pantries including canned food and supplies are now being made available to residents at some Nassau and Suffolk County school districts. Check with your local school district to inquire about availability.
* Information is offered as a guide, not an endorsement or guarantee. Contact agency, see website, or speak with an advisor for the most complete and current information.
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