Local offcials and pantries jump-start village hunger relief

By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, local officials banded with regional and village food organizations in a concerted effort to curb hunger in Valley Stream. At that time, the need felt obvious and immediate.

Regional food bank Long Island Cares, working with the office of Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, propped up a temporary emergency food distribution center at Valley Stream Presbyterian Church, welcoming hundreds of residents in need.

And when local pantries like the Saint Vincent de Paul food pantry program at Holy Name of Mary Church saw a jump in the number of vulnerable families requesting food assistance, they mobilized their volunteers.

But three years later, when asked whether pantries are breathing easier with the troubles of the pandemic largely behind them, food relief coordinators flatly say no. If anything, demand has intensified.

“The food is flying off the shelves,” said Sister Margie Kelly, director of the pantry outreach program at Holy Name of Mary Church.

According to hunger relief advocates, families are feeling the sting of rising food costs and inflation, fueling the surging demand at local and CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

As part of their efforts, the Valley Stream group holds a block party, serving hot dogs and hot chocolate, giving out gifts and inviting Santa to share in the festivities in honor of their late neighbors Chris Schroeder, who died of cancer in 2013 at 18, and Michael Smith, who had Down syndrome, and died the same year at 44.

Alex Carr and his wife, Sheryl, have been at the forefront of the annual block party since the inaugural. Usually, food and hot chocolate are served, gifts are given out, the Valley Stream Fire Department lets families explore the trucks and Santa Claus pays a visit to the kids. The party hasn’t taken place in the Covid-19 era, but houses are still being decorated.

“The Saturday before Christmas, we’d always have the block party,” Carr said. “This block here has 40 houses, and 36 out of 40 usually decorate. This is just all on Sylvan Place.”

Carr, now 59, who grew up on Sylvan Place and has been there since he was four, had one word to describe the block: close-knit. He recalled when a few neighbors decided to have a little decoration competition between houses for the holidays.

The block has been raising money in a little box outside Carr’s house since 2014, when they started decorating for Schroeder and Smith after they passed away. The funds raised are split between the Sunrise Association, a non-profit aimed at supporting families with chilCONTINUED ON PAGE 9