'Feed The Need' Addresses Hunger, Food Instability On East End

EAST END, NY — With hunger an escalating concern during the coronavirus pandemic, on the East End, the new "Feed the Need" campaign has been organized to help those struggling during the crisis.

According to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, food banks have seen a surge in demand, with Long Island's need up 40 percent; Cuomo announced during his press briefing Tuesday that the state would be issuing $25 million in emergency funding for food banks.

On the East End, food pantries are receiving critical funding from All For the East End, or AFTEE's, new"Feed the Need" campaign, created to address food instability and close other emerging gaps resulting from the pandemic.

“There is an incredible need,” said Hilton Crosby, executive director of Southampton’s Heart of the Hamptons, which, he said, provided 7,331 meals in the month of January, even before the pandemic.

Just days ago, Crosby said, 7,370 meals in grocery product were distributed in two hours.

"It’s staggering," Crosby said. "Just coordinating volunteers and packing grocery bags has been challenging."

Local contractor Peter Cardel of Cardel Development has offered to donate and build a motorized conveyor belt that can help us bring the Heart of the Hamptons operation up to scale, Crosby added. "The spirit of the community is amazing," he said.

Springs Pantry chairperson Holly Wheaton said before coronavirus, the pantry fed 65 families at weekly events. "But last week we served 190 families. It’s very humbling. Just surreal. But I have to say it’s remarkable to see the community coming together from all walks of life," she said. "People who were helping us before the pandemic now need help."

And she predicted that the numbers are not likely to go down.

Other said some pantries have seen an exploding demand. Vicki Littman, chairperson of the East Hampton Food Pantry, said by the same time last year, the group had fed 1,039 individuals in the first quarter of the year.

'People who were our donors are now clients'

Normally, she said, things would be slowing down at this point, because the seasonal workers would be going back to work.

However, she said, the need during the coronavirus crisis is dire. "Last week alone, we fed 604 people," she said. "They are so grateful; they call us their food pantry family. People who were our donors are now clients."

But the spirit of giving on the East End is strong, she said. "We’re going to get through this together. Nothing wrong with asking for help,” she says.

Littman shared a text she received from one client: “The graciousness and respect demonstrated by the entire staff is truly stunning. Everyone is made to feel welcome. Thank you for all you do, East Hampton Food Pantry.”

On the North Fork, Cathy Demeroto, executive director of Community Action of Southold Town, said hunger is a growing and critical concern. “We have a line wrapped around the corner," she said. "We were spending about $1,200 a week before the pandemic; now we are spending $7,000 a week and it’s getting worse. We have seen people pass away; this virus is scaring everyone. I’m worried about my volunteers."

For those quarantined at home, CAST drops of coolers of food to their doorsteps, she said.

In Southold, one person seeking assistance from CAST is just 19, a senior at Southold High School slated to graduate this year, Demeroto said. The teen been living on her own; her father lives in Connecticut and her mother lives in Guatemala, she said.

She was learning how to cook in a program at CAST while working as a bus person in a Greenport restaurant. But she lost her job because of the pandemic, and she had to make a choice between paying rent and buying food.

“The pantry people are very nice to me," the teen said. "I wish I could give them something in return.”

Pantries and other non-profits addressing those issues can apply for a grant here. For additional information or to make a donation, click here or email info@aftee.org.