LI Cares' Mobile Food Truck helps hungry people eat healthy

Thousands of people across Nassau County go to food banks and soup kitchens each month for much-needed sustenance. But soon, the food bank may come to them.

Long Island Cares, a nonprofit focused on helping hungry families, expects to debut its Mobile Food Truck in September.

The new service specifically aims to make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible to those who otherwise struggle to purchase them. When people have to pay for their medication, clothes and children’s school supplies, for example, spending the extra money on fresh produce is often out of the question.

“When people struggle with food insecurity, they oftentimes have to make difficult decisions with what they do with their money,” said Paule Pachter, chief executive of Long Island Cares. “And sadly, oftentimes what’s considered healthy food options — like lean chicken, lean proteins, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit — sort of become less important than paying for your rent. And so it becomes a focus — and almost, in my opinion, a responsibility — of food banks to make sure that people have access to the most healthy foods possible.”

Long Island Cares works with more than 350 local food pantries, but many simply do not have the storage capacity to house the fresh produce people need.

The Mobile Food Truck, by contrast, could deliver enough fruits and vegetables to fill up nearly five refrigerators, Pachter said. Local pantries can simply schedule a time for the truck to visit them, and their produce needs will be supplemented by the truck’s refrigerated storage.

The program is more needed now than ever, Pachter said. Fresh produce — already more expensive than less healthy options — has skyrocketed in price since the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple studies in the National Institutes of Health. Only around 1-in-10 people get their recommended daily serving of fruits and vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Mobile Food Truck is expected to improve those statistics for hungry people on the island.

A refrigerated food truck is a concept Long Island Cares has worked on for a while now — but it was a $250,000 grant from Bank of America’s Long Island branch that finally brought the produce truck to fruition.

With that money, Long Island Cares can buy the truck with refrigerated storage and wrap it with the charitable organization’s name. 

The partnership isn’t new. Bank of America is one of the largest donors helping hungry people, Pachter said — the bank’s previous $500,000 grant to Long Island Cares was directly responsible for opening new satellite locations, including one that is coming to Valley Stream.

“Access to healthy, nutritious food is more important than ever, and the new mobile farmers market will allow Long Island Cares to distribute fresh produce to more individuals and families in need,” said Marc Perez, president of Bank of America Long Island, in a statement. “Today, we continue to partner with organizations like Long Island Cares, which consistently strives to bring more resources to communities across every part of Long Island. The mobile farmers market is a new and innovative way to meet the needs of families, seniors and veterans experiencing food insecurity.”

And the program helps more than the hungry.

“This can be seen, in many ways, as a real boon to both the state and regional economy, because we always make it our business to first buy from Long Island when produce is able to be harvested in season” Pachter said. “So, this is really supporting New York in many ways, and supporting the Long Island farm community in many ways.

“And to us, that’s just a win-win situation.”

To find food near them or to volunteer, visit the Long Island Cares website at LICares.org.