Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Manna Project of Long Island, a food-relief nonprofit founded during the Covid-19 pandemic, is planning a farm-to-truck food distribution at Zion Cathedral Church of God in Christ in Freeport — an effort organizers hoped will become a monthly presence for residents facing food insecurity.
Yvette Hester, The Manna Project’s founder and president, said her Nassau County-based organization has operated since 2020, expanding from a small, community-based food assistance service into a high-volume pantry model that connects families with both groceries and support services.
Describing the group’s approach as broader than a traditional pantry model, Hester said The Manna Project could also connect residents with housing resources and other forms of assistance.
“We’re a food pantry,” Hester said. “We not only provide food, but we provide other services that families need, like we have resources to help people with SNAP and different things like clothing and (heat), insurance.”
The planned distribution at Zion Cathedral, at 312 Grand Ave., will be conducted through a partnership with Long Island Cares’ farm-to-truck program. The date is still being finalized through church scheduling protocols, Hester said. While the organization is eyeing early February for a first event, she said the organization expects to confirm a schedule after an upcoming meeting with Zion leadership.
“It is going to be an ongoing thing,” Hester confirmed.
Greg DeLauro, Long Island Cares’ farm-to-truck coordinator, said the model is designed to provide fresh produce in a way that feels more like shopping than a typical distribution line.
“There’s 12 baskets on the truck, and we’ll bring that much variety as far as produce and fruits,” he said. “It’ll be a two-hour distribution.”
Families are asked to share basic household details at check-in, including where they live and how many children, adults, and older adults are in the household, before selecting the food they need.
He emphasized that farm-to-truck differs from many food giveaways because it focuses on locally grown produce.
“The major difference is we offer farm fresh produce that’s grown locally in upstate New York and on Long Island,” DeLauro said. “Most other agencies give out perishable stuff, so that’s going to be canned stuff. We figured that it’s much better to have fresh produce than canned.”
DeLauro said the farm-to-truck model offers a more personal experience than many large-scale distributions, allowing residents to choose their own items from baskets rather than receiving food handed out from the back of a truck.
Hester said The Manna Project first took shape in 2020, when the sleep lab at Maimonides Hospital where she works shut down during the height of the pandemic, prompting her to look for ways to support families in need. She works as a sleep technician, also known as a polysomnographic technician.
She added that forming relationships with major food banks was a key step in the organization’s early growth, noting that she contacted Island Harvest and Long Island Cares shortly after establishing the nonprofit and that those partnerships have continued to develop over nearly five years.
“It turns out, here we are, five years later, and we’re going strong,” Hester said. “We help thousands of people, and we continue to do so.”
The nonprofit’s slogan, “fighting hunger with love,” she said, reflects its focus on dignity and compassion. “Loving people once they see that you care about them, you know, it makes a world of difference,” she added.
Vanessa Jones, a volunteer at The Manna Project who helps with sign-ins and packing bags, described the pantry’s impact on the communities it already serves.
“It’s a blessing. It’s truly a blessing,” Jones said, describing the need she has seen in Inwood, where she lives and where the organization conducts food distribution operations.
“It’s very rewarding just being able to help a fellow man or woman, you know, put food on the table,” Jones added. “It’s very hard out here. It’s hard, a lot of people are struggling.”
Hester said she hopes the Freeport partnership will not only provide consistent food distributions, but also help The Manna Project build toward a more stable, permanent operation.
“We are in the process of getting our own space,” she said. “Because we operate outside of the church right now, but we need our own space.”
She also said the organization is actively seeking support to expand its work, continually looking for sponsors and donors so they can keep assisting the community.
“As a small food charity, we need more donors, sponsors, corporations and private foundations to assist our organization’s individual needs,” Hester said via text message. “We need donors, sponsors to support the continuance of our programs.”
Residents and those who wish to help may contact The Manna Project at (516) 412-5069 or TMP.NY@yahoo.com and visit tmpny.org.
