As Long Island prepares to mark Harry Chapin Day on July 16, the singer-songwriter’s legacy extends far beyond his music.
More than four decades after he began an effort to combat hunger by founding Long Island Cares in 1980, the need for food assistance continues to grow, including at the organization’s Valley Stream pantry.
The recent increase in demand underscores the continued relevance of Chapin’s mission at a time when nearly 314,000 Long Islanders struggle to access food. While Nassau County is often viewed as an affluent community, staff members at the Valley Stream pantry said the need for assistance continues to rise among people from all walks of life.
Nichole Rojas, program center coordinator for the Valley Stream pantry, oversees the site’s daily operations, including volunteer management and assistance to pantry visitors. The pantry primarily serves Nassau County residents, while maintaining six pantry locations across Long Island — in Valley Stream, Freeport, Bethpage, Huntington Station, Lindenhurst and Hampton Bays.
Rojas said she has seen an increase in the number of people seeking assistance in recent months. Some visitors are coming to the pantry for the first time, while others who previously needed help have returned.
“It seems like it’s getting a little bit more filled up,” Rojas said. “There are a lot more people coming into the pantry. I believe it’s because of the benefits. Some of the clients are losing their benefits, or have had a decrease in their benefits, but it could be anything. It could be that they lost their job, possibly, you never know anybody’s situation.”
In May, the Valley Stream pantry served more people in nearly every category as compared with the same month a year ago. Adult clients increased from 520 to 597, a 15 percent increase. Children served rose from 266 to 288, an 8 percent increase, while seniors increased from 275 to 309, a 12 percent hike. The number of families assisted climbed from 318 to 350, a 10 percent increase.
The pantry also distributed 10,746 meals in May, up from 9,541 a year earlier, a 13 percent increase. The number of people who received assistance rose from 1,061 to 1,194, also a 13 percent boost.
From January through May, the Valley Stream pantry has assisted 5,954 people while distributing 53,447 meals. During that period, it served 2,947 adults, 1,450 children, 1,556 seniors and 1,756 families.
Rojas said access to food affects people regardless of their background or previous financial stability. She noted that the pantry serves seniors, veterans, working adults and younger residents alike, adding that people’s situations can change quickly.
She said she believes Chapin would be proud of how Long Island Cares has expanded its efforts since its founding, with staff members, volunteers, drivers and warehouse employees working together to continue the mission he began.
“He would also be disappointed at the fact that, you know, there are a lot of people in Long Island that have the means to help and do not,” Rojas said. “I feel, in my personal opinion, it shouldn’t be. There are so many people who are without food.”
Food drives, direct food donations and financial contributions help keep pantry shelves stocked throughout the year. The pantry accepts canned goods, pasta, condiments, cooking aids, snacks, dairy products and other food donations, while fresh fruits and vegetables are also welcomed when available.
That community support once again will be on display on July 19, when musician Stuart Markus presents his annual “Just Wild About Harry” tribute concert at Heckscher Park in Huntington, the town where Chapin settled in as an adult. The concert, held every year since 2004, brings together Long Island musicians to perform songs written by Chapin and to collect food and financial donations for Long Island Cares.
Long Island Cares has been a beneficiary of the event since it began, as fighting hunger was central to Chapin’s life’s work.
“He just felt it was absolutely, I think the word he used was, ‘obscene,’” Markus said, “that, in one of the wealthiest nations in the world, so many people should still be struggling to put food on the table. So, he dedicated his life to fighting hunger.”
He expressed belief that Chapin’s music continues to resonate because of its storytelling and because Long Islanders remember him not only as a successful songwriter but also as someone committed to helping others.
Markus said Chapin would likely be frustrated that hunger remains such a persistent problem more than 40 years after his death, particularly in a region widely regarded as one of the wealthiest in New York.
As Harry Chapin Day recognizes the musician’s enduring legacy, both the growing demand at the Valley Stream pantry and the continued community support illustrate that the work he began remains as important today as it was when Long Island Cares first opened its doors.
