600 Participants Take Polar Bear Plunge To Help East Hampton's Hungry

EAST HAMPTON, NY — About 600 intrepid supporters took the plunge to help battle food insecurity in East Hampton this New Year's Day.

This year's Polar Bear Plunge to benefit East Hampton food pantries marked the 20th year that East Hampton Ocean Rescue and the YMCA Hurricanes have hosted the popular event, organizers said.

According to Vicki Littman, chair of the East Hampton Food Pantry, some 600 braved the surf, cheered on by a huge crowd.

Those participating then shared hot chocolate and soup provided by Bonfire Coffee, the East Hampton Lions Club, Wainscott Seafood Shop, East Hampton Kitchen, Estia’s Little Kitchen, M and R Deli and Golden Pear.

Each plunger also received an official skull cap donated by event sponsor Sotheby’s International Realty. A costume contest saw a team from the Ladies Village Improvement Society, one garbed as a tree in recognition of the work the organization does, emerge the winners.

Leading up to the plunge, East Hampton High School hosted an annual logo contest for art students. The winning artwork chosen by the pantry’s board of directors was then used for participant hats and merchandise. EHHS sophomore Gizel Espinal, 15, was this year’s winner.

New this year, East Hampton Village posted banners along Main Street in advance of the event. Also, the East Hampton Food Pantry created a prompt on its website that allowed would-be plungers to register in advance and avoid long lines at the beach; close to 200 participants signed up using that method.

The Polar Bear Plunge is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the East Hampton Food Pantry. While final results are still being calculated, the board chair estimated that the event will garner about $35,000 to help feed the hungry in East Hampton.

Food insecurity surges during the winter months in East Hampton, Littman said. In December, more than 2,500 individuals in 850 households were served in East Hampton alone, she said. By comparison, in December, 2022, the pantry served 1,900 individuals in just over 700 families.

"We operate solely through donations," Littman said. "So this popular annual event is a mainstay for us and helps keep our shelves stocked for our local working families and seniors."