Church food pantry feeds locals

The Christ Alive Food Pantry, on East Meadow Avenue, opened its doors to nearly 100 needy Nassau County residents last Saturday.

Volunteers welcomed residents of all ages and religions into their congregation for food and prayer. “We wouldn’t be a Christ church if we didn’t invite the world in,” said pantry Director Joanne Kassebaum.

The volunteers started meeting with visitors at 10 a.m., and matched people’s individual needs with the appropriate services. Families who did not have working stoves were given pre-cooked meals. Some said they did not eat bread, so it was set aside for others.

One East Meadow resident said he had been employed until 2008, when he was burned while working at a fastfood restaurant. Now, he said, he cannot find work. He took a certification course to learn how to fix air conditioners and refrigerators, but, he said, employers are demanding at least two years’ experience.

“It’s a struggle,” he said. “Every time you turn around, there’s something else to buy.”

The man said he is not religious, but reads the Bible every night for inspiration and is hopeful that his luck will change. “Don’t go through things argumentatively because you’ll make things hard on yourself,” he said. “Just do what you have to do.”

A Valley Stream resident said he started attending the Christ Alive pantry when he heard about the service from a neighbor about five months ago. A construction worker who was pinned under a forklift and has been out on disability, he has endured two knee replacements and has looked for work to no avail.

“It’s such a struggle right now,” said the man, the father of two boys, 11 and 8. He added that he was making good money before the accident, but now he can’t even afford electricity. “I didn’t have $14,” he said, “so it got shut off.”

The man has an associate’s degree in business administration, but is thinking about going back to school since he cannot find work. “I’m trying to take things day by day,” he said, “but everything is more amplified during the holidays.”

Two years ago, another pantry patron, a Valley Stream resident who worked at Office Max, was told he was getting a promotion. Two days later he was rear-ended in his car. “It ruined my back,” he recounted. “I can’t stand eight hours a day. I can’t bend over and pick up a printer.”

His injury prevented him from going back to work. “I can’t feed my family,” the man said with tears filling his eyes. He has a 12-year-old son. “I’m not really an emotional guy,” he said, “but I don’t have a Christmas tree. Forget about a present.”

He comes to the pantry for food, but, he added, “They help me spiritually. I get a strength from them. They’re very compassionate. It’s clear to me that they really care.”

Diane, of Uniondale, a single mother of a 4-year-old named Dahlia, said she started coming to the pantry in 2008 and is now also a volunteer. She graduated from St. John’s University and was working as a special-education teacher while studying for her master’s degree, but she couldn’t afford basic necessities and keep up with student loans. “My student loans are like half of what my salary is,” she said.

While Diane said she is slowly gaining financial stability and utilizes the pantry’s services less often, she likes giving back. “I did something good today,” she remembering thinking after volunteering on her first day. Last month she helped the pantry feed more than 100 families in a single day.

The Christ Alive Food Pantry is open only one day per month, but, Kassebaum said, “Anyone who calls us in the middle of the month, we’ll feed them.” She added that the pantry used to provide food for people who came from as far away as Suffolk County and Queens, but because of the sheer number of people in need, it has recently limited donations to Nassau County residents. Most pantry-goers live within a five-mile radius of the church, Kassebaum said.

Food is donated by Long Island Cares, Island Harvest, local vendors like Zorns, Bagelicious and Panera Bread as well as East Meadow elementary school students.

The Christ Alive pantry is open the third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To donate food, call (516) 794-4291.