Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce is continuing its annual food drive this month, working with local grocery stores, community partners and schools to collect donations for area food pantries.
The effort began Nov. 1 and is scheduled to run through Nov. 14, though Chamber leaders are preparing to extend it through the end of November due to ongoing issues with SNAP benefits and the increased need among residents.
This marks the third year the Chamber has organized the seasonal drive, which takes place each fall. The 2025 campaign began outside Key Food on Rockaway Avenue Nov. 1 and continued Nov. 2 at King Kullen. Both stores have hosted Chamber collections for the past three years. The Chamber coordinated the events directly with King Kullen’s corporate offices and Key Food’s local owner, Alex Guzman.
“Both drives were successful, and people were happy to donate,” Chamber Board Member Lauri LoQuercio said. “Several people mentioned that they were recipients at one time in their lives and were very grateful to be able to help now that they were back on their feet.”
Donations collected on the first two days were distributed to two Valley Stream food pantries. The food gathered Nov. 1 was delivered to Blessed Sacrament, while the items collected Nov. 2 were sent to Holy Name of Mary. In addition to nonperishable food, the Chamber received approximately $1,100 in cash donations, which were divided between the two pantries.
Food collected throughout the drive is being distributed to multiple Valley Stream food pantries, including Holy Name of Mary, Blessed Sacrament, the House of Hope, and Long Island Cares. The pantries serve anyone in need regardless of religious affiliation or background.
Several local businesses also supported the Chamber’s effort by providing food for volunteers at the collection sites. Key Food supplied lunch and hot chocolate for volunteers stationed at its location, while Genovese Pizza and Sicilia D’Oro IV donated pizza for the team working at King Kullen.
An addition to this year’s food drive came through a partnership with James A. Dever Elementary School. The collaboration began when the school’s Parent Teacher Association decided to include a charitable component in its annual Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 30, just before the start of the Chamber’s food drive.
“In the end, our school strives to encourage students and families to be a part of events which integrate givebacks to the community in a one-step process,” PTA Chair for Fundraising Jaianti Singh said.
Families attending the Halloween celebration were asked to bring a donation as admission, an idea originally developed by PTA leaders to help students connect school activities with acts of community service. For this year’s event, families were encouraged to bring boxes of cereal, which were later donated to the Chamber’s food drive.
The PTA has been integrating food collections into Trunk or Treat for several years, combining the festive atmosphere of the event with a simple way for students to participate in giving back. The cereal drive has also become part of a separate school activity known as the cereal domino run. During the domino run, hundreds of cereal boxes are lined up through school hallways and toppled in sequence to create a visual display of collective generosity.
The PTA introduced the cereal donation component to increase participation and demonstrate how individual contributions can build into something larger. The project has become a tradition at Dever, and this year marked the fourth time the domino run has taken place.
This year’s Trunk or Treat brought in more than 250 boxes of cereal. Once the event concluded, PTA members organized and delivered the cereal to the Chamber to be included in the ongoing food drive. The partnership developed after Dever’s PTA Co-President, Desiree Fasulo, met LoQuercio at a Valley Stream Council of PTAs meeting. The two instantly connected and arranged for the cereal donations to be transported directly to the Chamber’s distribution efforts.
“It was a full-circle moment of love and kindness in action,” Fasulo said. “Our students saw that even small gestures can create big magic when we all work together.”
The Dever contribution helped replenish pantry shelves across several local organizations. When the cereal was delivered to Long Island Cares, organizers found that the shelves had been empty before the donation.
The Chamber’s food drive and Dever’s PTA initiative shared a common goal of teaching community engagement and supporting neighbors facing food insecurity. Both groups emphasized that small individual efforts — such as donating a single food item — can collectively make a significant difference when multiplied across the community.
The school’s administration has also played a consistent role in supporting PTA service projects. Principal Darren Gruen has encouraged programs that connect students with local organizations and promote volunteerism. His collaboration with the PTA has allowed events like the Trunk or Treat and cereal domino run to expand each year and to reach beyond the school community.
The Chamber’s fall food drive will continue collecting items for local pantries through mid-November, with the likelihood of continuing into late November as organizers monitor community needs. Donations from residents and businesses remain essential to maintaining pantry supplies and assisting families affected by food insecurity.
The partnership between the Chamber and Dever PTA demonstrates how local organizations work together to meet community needs while also engaging students and families in acts of service. Through combined efforts from schools, businesses and residents, the Chamber’s 2025 food drive has grown into a broad community movement aimed at supporting Valley Stream families during a time of increased demand.
