Carroll’s Kitchen in Bellmore prepared to feed thousands — again

The year is shaping up to be a busy one for Carroll’s Kitchen, a nonprofit that opened in Bellmore late last year to help feed those in need. A number of events are scheduled for the coming weeks to distribute food to thousands of people.

Owner Ryan Carroll opened the Bellmore location, an offshoot of the original Carroll’s Kitchen, in Blue Point, in December. The Bellmore kitchen is at the end of Charles Court, off Newbridge Road. The weekend before Christmas, a small group of chefs busily prepared 3,000 holiday meals that were distributed to families throughout the area.

That was only Day One. Each week, the organization has been providing meals to more than 350 elderly people in the area. The meals are part of Carroll’s Kitchen’s Elderly Grandparent Program, which sends a full meal, with side dishes, to senior residents.

The first plates delivered from the Bellmore kitchen marked 33,000 total meals donated by Carroll’s Kitchen since its founding last March. The group has since donated thousands more.

“We now have a good feel for Nassau — especially in Bellmore,” Carroll said.

More than 1,500 meals will be assembled at the kitchen’s first event with Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall, in Wantagh, on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. Enough food will be made to feed the entire staff at Stony Brook University Hospital and Nassau University Medical Center.

A dinner fundraiser will follow the “Feed the Frontline” event, for which attendance will be limited. Tickets are available for $65 per person, which includes a three-course meal and an open bar.

All proceeds will go to charity. Fifty percent will support Barstool Sports’ Barstool Fund, which supports small businesses, and the remaining 50 percent will go towards Carroll’s Kitchen to help fund future initiatives.

Tickets can be purchased by contacting info@mulcahys.com or by calling (516) 783-7500.

That will wrap up a busy February for Carroll’s Kitchen, but the momentum will continue into next month. On March 7, the kitchen will team up with St. Francis Episcopal Church in North Bellmore to feed 500 food-insecure people in the community and assemble and donate five tons of dry pantry food.

Baby back ribs with coleslaw, cornbread and mac ‘n’ cheese — which will be prepared in coordination with barbecue experts from the Massapequa Pitmasters Facebook group — will also be offered for $20, the proceeds of which will be support the initiative. The event will kick off at 1 p.m.

The list of those who need food is growing fast, and Carroll’s Kitchen relies on donations to keep operations running. It also needs volunteers during their hours of operation on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“We’re going to keep feeding these people as best as we can,” Carroll said.

Carroll’s Kitchen also offers a full menu for those interested in purchasing dishes, the proceeds of which help fund future donation efforts. Check its website, www.carrollskitchenli.org, Instagram (@carrollskitchen_li) or Facebook pages for updates on its frequently changing menu.