'Feed The Need' Fights Hunger On East End During Coronavirus

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — The escalating number of new coronavirus cases, coupled with the shuttering of non-essential businesses, has dealt a blow to the East End economy and led to a critical need to address growing food insecurity, local leaders said.

And now, officials across the East End canvas are mobilizing to launch the new "Feed the Need" campaign, aimed at supporting local food pantries left struggling.

A coalition of food pantry directors has joined with local elected officials, clergy and business leaders to launch a broad appeal for donations to food distribution agencies who are already seeing a rapid increase in the number of individuals seeking assistance, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said.

All donations are tax-deductible and go directly to local food pantries according to need.

The idea was born when Bridgehampton resident Dan Shedrick reached out to Schneiderman, asking how to help the local workforce cope with the economic crisis, the supervisor said.

“There is a humanitarian crisis," Shedrick said, adding that 75 percent "of working Americans have been financially hurt during this pandemic. People want to help, but they don’t know how best to help.”

The fundamental problem, according to Schneiderman, is that workforce of the Hamptons is spread throughout the East End region, many in hamlets that are less affluent and where residents are struggling to meet needs during time of crisis.

“If our goal is to help the local workforce, we need to think regionally — we need an East End fundraising appeal," Schneiderman said, adding that he reached out to other community leaders to kick off the campaign.

New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele suggested using an existing not-for-profit foundation headed by Claudia Pilato, “All for The East End” (AFTEE), as an umbrella agency to direct funds to the local level — AFTEE once teamed up with Nile Rodgers for an East End concert.

AFTEE, founded in 2013 to increase funding resources to the nonprofits of the East End, was a "perfect vehicle" to launch the Feed the Need campaign, Schneiderman said.

Hilton Crosby, director of Heart of the Hamptons, the largest food pantry in Southampton Town, joined their efforts to launch the “Feed the Need” effort.

The team is assembling a board of directors consisting of local clergy, advocates of minority populations, industry leaders from agriculture and fishing, and philanthropists. An advisory committee of food pantry representatives will help guide the group’s relief efforts; fundraising targets are being set and a large-scale marketing plan is being developed, a release said.

Through the organization, donors can link directly and donate to specific food pantries or donate directly to a specific area through AFTEE by selecting either All East End, South Fork or North Fork.

“Feed the Need expects to raise significant funds to support the escalating needs of our food pantries to alleviate food insecurity in our local community,” said AFTEE founder and president Pilato. “The goal is to quickly and efficiently get money where it is needed most.”

“During this coronavirus crisis, we are seeing more and more families turning to food pantries for assistance,” said Crosby. “We are so busy distributing food that it will be helpful to have a fundraising arm like ‘Feed The Need’ to help generate funds to expand our operations.”

Heart of the Hamptons is currently working out of the basement of a church but is looking to expand into a more permanent ground level facility, officials said.

"Food insecurity is one of our biggest concerns as we continue to experience economic disruption on the East End due to COVID-19," Thiele said. "The impact to our service industries is particularly severe. The 'Feed the Need' campaign marshals the resources of both our seasonal and year round community to insure no person goes hungry. We are all in this together. Together we can help our food pantries do what they could not do individually."

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