Tackling the food shortage amid a rising need

regional food pantries.

It’s hard for a middle-income family of four, making anywhere from $50,000 to $70,000, to get by when their wallets are strained to the limits with price jumps in basic living expenses — coupled with Long Island’s built-in high cost of living — noted Paule Patcher, chief executive officer of Long Island Cares.

“As we closed out last year, the number of first-time visitors needing food at one of our emergency food pantry locations is up by more than 50 percent,” said Patcher. “That’s 42,000 new people across Long Island.”

While demand swells, the available options to seek out federal and state food assistance have narrowed, noted Jessica Rosati, the regional food bank’s program coordinator. Gone is the federally backed pandemic-era universal free lunch program, and the emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will roll back by the end of the month.

The result? More and more families, facing the painful reality of teetering between paying a mortgage or purchasing a week’s worth of grocery items, are turning to local and regional pantries to secure a monthly box or bag of free food.

In turn, food pantries and distribution sites are feeling the pressure to keep their pantry shelves stocked. Nassau County Legislator Bill Gaylor earlier this month called on residents and local organizations to help the Saint Vincent de Paul food pantry replenish its supplies with a two-weeklong food drive collection, which kicked