Long Island Cares

The harry chapin food bank receives, warehouses and distributes millions of pounds of donated and purchased food from various sources to member agencies serving the needy population of nassau and suffolk counties. The food bank serves more than 590 of these agencies: food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, group homes, day treatment facilities, senior nutrition sites and day care centers. Agency relations is of vital importance for guiding, coordinating and monitoring their food relief efforts.

The community outreach programs such as "new paths to achievement and job training" address the causes of hunger by working with individuals most at risk of needing emergency food assistance during their lifetime, helping them acquire job skills and confidence to help them achieve self-sufficiency. The organization has service centers in freeport, huntington station, lindenhurtst, and hampton bays which provide food pantry and community outreach services to their local communities. The "mobile outreach resource enterprise vans" provide food pantry and community outreach services to many locations in nassau and suffolk counties. The "school tools" program sends a positive message about the importance of education by making new school supplies available to children in need of assistance. The "kids cafe" after-school program provides children with nutritious meals and snacks in a safe, educational environment in cooperation with community agencies. Hunger education is an important tool in the fight against hunger. The organization gives presentations to schools, clubs, religious organizations and local community groups to help them understand why many people in the united states are hungry, and what organizations like Long Island Cares, Inc. are doing to address the problem. Veterans' services offer a variety of support services to veterans and their families who might be experiencing difficulties returning to the workforce, financial hardships or food insecurity. The nassau service center located in freeport, new york provides a broad array of community services for Long islanders experiencing hunger in an accessible storefront location. In addition to a large food pantry, the center offers job development services as well as entitlement and referral services. It is also utilized for mandated training by member agencies located in nassau county as well as a training center for a new "students fighting hunger" volunteer corporation.