That’s mighty kind of you, East Meadow

The McVey Mighty Market at McVey Elementary School in East Meadow will have plenty of items on the pantry shelves thanks to the fundraising efforts and generosity of East Meadow Kiwanis.

After making a nice sum of money from its annual golf outing fundraiser, the East Meadow Kiwanis put $5,000 right back into the community.

The donation will be split into two deliveries. The first was August 18, where volunteers from East Meadow Kiwanis went out and shopped for the pantry. The second will be sometime in September.

“We’re thrilled that we were able to transform what we raised right into something into the hands, for the people in the communities, specifically the kids, because I think it’s tough stuff,” Kiwanis Club member Ted Rosenthal said. “This organization is unbelievable in their give back to the community and when we don’t know, it’s hard for us to act.”

The McVey Mighty Market was created in May 2020 by McVey Principal Kerry Anne Dunne after seeing a need in the community. Amanda Napolitano, the school’s social worker, oversees the pantry.

The pantry started in the school’s gym serving families impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Napolitano thought that the pantry would be a one and done situation, but after seeing the continued need in the community, it’s still up and running.

“We just kind of started the pantry just to help our families in need, and we didn’t realize it was going to be post-pandemic,” Napolitano said. “We’re just happy to be able to help our community as best as we can.”

The pantry is open every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, and is manned by volunteers or Dunne. Families can come in and shop for what they need. When the stock is low, however, families are limited as to how much they can take.

Napolitano said that she likes to keep the market “grocery store style,” so that families can pick and choose what they need and want.

What started out as 15 to 20 families towards the end of the school year, Dunne said, turned into about 43 families when she first opened the pantry for the summer. Now, the pantry sees about 55 to 65 families a week.

“Inflation hit and I don’t know if it’s a function of that and the closing of schools, but then the numbers started increasing,” she said. “This past week we had a long line until 1 p.m. so we just stayed open.”

There’s more than just canned food in the pantry. There’s produce and meat when available, feminine hygiene products, diapers, toiletries and clothes. Most of the donations come from community members, but sometimes they get donations from Island Harvest and local churches, like New Hope Church.

The pantry stock has been running low, Dunne said, and she’s been reaching “further out,” to see where she can get donations from.

“I’ve been a member of East Meadow Kiwanis for almost 35 years, and we do lots of wonderful things,” Rosenthal said. “But when you’re able to step back and actually do something like this and see and think about what firsthand some of these people go through, where they have to choose whether they can feed their child or do something else, it’s just unbelievable.”

Dunne said that she never wants families to feel awkward or uncomfortable for coming to the pantry. She just wants people utilize it if they really need it. “I remember when we first opened, a family saw me and I could see the look on their face, like I can’t believe this is where I’m at,” she said. “I said, I can’t believe this is where I’m at, so just go ahead and feed your family.”