County Executive Bruce Blakeman declared a state of emergency on Monday in response to the federal government shutdown, announcing that Island Harvest and Long Island Cares will receive additional emergency funding to address a rise in food insecurity.
Blakeman said the move is intended to ensure that families relying on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are not left without support while federal funding is stalled.
“With the issues that are going on in Washington, D.C. right now, there are many people who are in jeopardy of not being able to feed themselves and their families. So we are trying to help and supplement the things that a lot of our great not-for-profits are doing here on Long Island,” he said.
The county will provide $50,000 per week to each of the two major regional food banks until SNAP benefits resume. Roughly 31,450 Nassau households rely on SNAP.
Island Harvest CEO Randi Shubin Dresner said the support will go directly toward getting food into homes quickly.
“Food is a right,” she said. “We need to be able to know that we’re going to be able to have access to a good, healthy meal. And these funds are going to allow us to purchase that kind of food and get it out into the community here in Nassau County really, really quickly.”
Long Island Cares CEO Katherine M. Fritz said the timing is critical for families already struggling.
“This is an important time in our lives on Long Island to make sure that we’re focused on the people — who are struggling every day to make sure that their families have food on their table,” she said.
Information about local food pantries and soup kitchens is available on NassauCountyNY.gov.
