On Long Island, Island Harvest keeps children and teens fed in summer months

Island Harvest Food Bank’s Summer Food Service Program is stepping in to provide a crucial lifeline during the summer months. Administered by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the program will deliver breakfasts, lunches, and snacks from Monday through Saturday. These meals will be distributed to programs operated by municipal agencies, summer and day camps, community centers, libraries, churches, and community-based organizations across Long Island.

Running from June 24, 2024, to August 30, 2024, the service program is expected to serve over 60,000 meals to approximately 1,440 children and teenagers at 22 sites across Long Island this summer.

“For parents struggling to make ends meet, summer can be stressful, especially with the high cost of groceries and other essential items, and these months should not be a time for children to worry about when their next meal will be,” Randi Shubin Dresner, the president and CEO of Island Harvest said. “The SFSP allows us to partner with community programs to help address the public health crisis of food insecurity, especially among the most vulnerable among us — children.”

The program is committed to providing meals and snacks, at no charge, to children 18 years old and younger without any form of discrimination. Its acceptance and participation requirements are the same for all, regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. There is no discrimination in the course of the meal service. It is a federally funded, state-administered program that reimburses program operators for providing free healthy meals to children in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

For more information on the Summer Food Service Program, contact Jenny Schaeffer, chief programs and network officer at Island Harvest Food Bank, via phone at (631) 873-4775 or email jenny@islandharvest.org. To find local food sources in your area, text your ZIP code to (631) 450-3775.

Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading human services organization whose mission is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island. The organization achieves this through innovative programs and services aimed at enhanced hunger awareness, short-term case management, nutrition education, outreach and advocacy initiatives, its Healthy Harvest Farm, a Workforce Skills Development Institute, and efficient food collection and distribution. Island Harvest Food Bank directly supports children, families, seniors, and veterans who turn to them in times of crisis and supports a network of community-based nonprofit organizations. Island Harvest Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks leading the effort to solve hunger in the U.S. For more information, visit IslanddHarvest.org