By Anthony Bottan and Mary Malloy
Local food pantries are still in need of nonperishable items, clothes and money for the growing number of local families who are struggling to get by.
Sister Barbara Faber, who has run the Our Lady of Peace Parish Social Ministry office for 14 years, said the pantry has served about 60 to 65 families per month throughout the year, and the numbers are increasing. "The economy definitely has something to do with it," Faber said. "People have higher bills, and sometimes food stamps are not enough for a whole family."
Faber noted that even though the community, local organizations, schools and the church's parishioners have been generous, the families that depend on the pantry every month are still in need after the holidays. "We are well stocked at the moment with food, but I don't know what will happen after January," she said. "It is important for people to drop off even a few items to help fill our shelves."
Teresa Scorsese, who, with her daughter, Januarie Vazquez, runs the East Rockaway Nazarene Church food pantry on Ocean Avenue, said that the number of people who have come in seeking food has nearly doubled since the facility opened its doors in April. "There is a tremendous strain on the pantry," said Scorsese, who founded the service. "We have more than doubled our clients, from about 15 families to 35. Twenty or more of those are families who come in regularly."
Scorsese said that the pantry relies solely on donations from congregants and the public. "People were very generous around the holidays," she said. "The people from the church usually donate, but this year we had strangers coming in, leaving boxes of food and money. Someone wrote us a check in excess of $300."
Scorsese said that in December, the East Rockaway School District's faculty chose the Nazarene's pantry as the recipient of a fundraiser called "Denim for Dollars." Faculty members paid $5 each to wear jeans to work, Scorsese explained, "and they collected $625 for us." Faculty Charity Coordinator Donna Smith said in a letter to Scorsese that they liked the idea that the food pantry served the immediate community.
"We serve everyone, including residents from Oceanside, Elmont and Freeport," Scorsese said. "While we appreciate all donations, I want people to remember that hunger is not just during the holidays ... the food pantry can exist only with consistent generosity."
More low-income, working and middle-class families on Long Island are finding themselves using food banks and emergency food programs administered by Island Harvest, according to Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Long Island's largest hunger relief organization. Island Harvest has delivered 50 million pounds of food, supplementing more than 38 million meals, since its inception in 1992, according to Dresner. Hunger is on the rise due to the worsening economy, she said, and the trend is expected to continue through much of next year.
"The economic downturn has changed the face of hunger on Long Island, leaving many low-income and even middle-class Long Islanders struggling for the first time," Dresner said. "We are seeing more people accessing the agencies we serve who have never asked for help before."
Some of the items needed at both local pantries include canned beans, soups, vegetables, large cans of fruit juice or juice boxes, coffee, cereal, pasta and sauce, canned tuna or chicken, rice, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap and shampoo. "[But] clothes or monetary donations are always appreciated," said Faber.
The OLP Social Ministry only serves families within the parish's geographic boundaries, but religious affiliation does not matter. Usually, families in need come in and are given two grocery bags they can fill up with whatever items they need, according to Farber. " If a person is physically unable to go to the food pantry, volunteer parishioners will deliver food to their home," she said.
With unemployment on the rise, OLP brings in volunteers with expertise in employment twice a week to help out-of-work residents improve their resumes and their interviewing skills. Local businesses contact the parish when they have openings, Faber said, but nothing is guaranteed. "We don't always find them jobs, but we try," she said.
The Nazarene food pantry has a sign-up sheet, and proof of residence and income are required. "We also accept monetary donations," said Scorsese, "and gift certificates to supermarkets are nice also."
Comments about this story? MMalloyl@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
