As winter ends, students from East Meadow High School’s Key Club revitalized their local food pantries following the successful Thanksgiving food drive of last year.
The collection occurred outside the ShopRite in Uniondale on March 21 and 22.
Community members donated nonperishable goods to support local families in need. Volunteers accepted sealed food items and ingredients as well as gift cards to help purchase perishable items such as dairy products, fresh meat and vegetables.
The proceeds from the drive went to regional food pantries including St. Brigid’s Parish in Westbury.
The parish’s pantry received the donations shortly after the drive concluded, about a dozen large boxes packed full of long-lasting goods — exactly what they need to last through the coming months, according to Yanira Chacon, director of parish outreach.
“We’ve been in relationship with the Kiwanis from East Meadow, I believe, for about 20 years,” she said. “This is very refreshing that we know that there are families who are not from Westbury and they are concerned about the needs that others may have. They grow themselves by helping others and by being aware that there is need around us.
“Always, when you do something for the others, it comes back to you double,” she continued, “so all the time that you can do something good for anybody else, to help people there are in need, the blessings will multiply to yourself.”
Through the annual food drives, a new generation of givers are fighting back against growing food insecurity on Long Island, Chacon said.
“We are open five days a week the whole year,” she said. “We always have a lot of families… we always need donations.”
Anne Lederer, the director of the social ministry at St. Raphael Parish, received 20 boxes of donations for her parish’s food pantry from the Kiwanis Club.
“They had a whole pickup truck full of items,” she said. “We took almost a whole day to put on our shelves, so we were very, very appreciative of everything that they brought.”
According to Lederer, the pantry regularly feeds almost 300 people monthly spread between about 100 families.
“It’s an ongoing process with the food pantry,” Lederer explained. “It seemed like the shelves were fully stocked, and then all of the sudden the number of people that are coming in in need of food has increased. When you get a group like the Kiwanis that gives you so much food, it keeps us well stocked for a while.”
A person can come to the pantry monthly and receive one or two bags to fill with food, depending on the size of the family, plus a gift card to a grocery store to purchase perishable items.
“When you see so many people who are struggling… you can help them by giving them food so they can use the money for other necessities, for paying their bills, for paying their rent, making sure their lights are on, their car is running,” Lederer said. “It’s a very fulfilling job.”
Many of the young people who staffed the food drive were members of the Key Club, a young people’s division of the nonprofit Kiwanis Club. Other volunteers came from other groups, including the East Meadow Little League.
Steve LaSala is the commissioner of the East Meadow Little League and an avid contributor to the Kiwanis Club’s charitable events, from pancake breakfasts to Thanksgiving dinners to toy drives and holiday events.
“I just think it’s great that the kids in the neighborhood, or high schoolers come down and help,” he said.
“These kids sincerely look like they want to do something good to their community, and I think that’s great… that part makes me happy as a parent and also as someone who likes to help their community as well.”
The Kiwanis Club of East Meadow participates in community events all year long. For more information about upcoming events and how to donate, visit k03823.site.kiwanis.org.
