Island Harvest launches annual holiday food drive

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Higher grocery prices are driving up the demand for food assistance as the holiday season nears. Those high prices can be especially challenging on Long Island, a region where the cost of living is high and, according to Feeding America, a hunger-relief organization, 221,190 people are food insecure.

To help those facing food insecurity enjoy the holidays, Island Harvest Food Bank, headquartered in Melville, has launched its annual “Turkey & Trimmings Collection Campaign.” This holiday season, Island Harvest expects to distribute 23,000 turkeys across Nassau and Suffolk counties. That’s up from 20,000 frozen turkeys in 2023. The organization also aims to distribute hundreds of thousands of pounds of nonperishable food.

“We typically think of the holiday season as a time to gather with family and friends, give thanks for what we have and make resolutions about the future,” Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, said in a news release about the holiday campaign.

“Unfortunately, this year, many of our neighbors on Long Island will still struggle to afford a traditional holiday-style meal of turkey and all the trimmings,” she added.

The campaign comes at a time when the food bank aim to distribute 20 million pounds of food this year through its network of community-based pantries, emergency feeding programs in Nassau and Suffolk and its direct service programs designed to help children, older adults and veterans.

Labor and transportation costs continue to drive up grocery prices, according to Island Harvest.  Yet, according to a Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute report, turkeys are expected to cost about 16% less than last year, and fresh cranberries are down 20%. Still, canned cranberries are up by 7%, sweet potatoes saw a 4% increase, and the price of Russet potatoes jumped 14%. Canned green beans are up nearly 9%. And canned pumpkin is now up 30% compared to last year, while ham is up 5.2%. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal last year for ten people was $61.17, but still 25% higher than in 2019.

“Generous Long Islanders and the business community have been remarkable in donating what they can to help their less-fortunate neighbors enjoy the warmth and joy of a traditional holiday meal spent with family and loved ones,” Dresner said. “We at Island Harvest are confident that they will once again show their spirit of what the holiday truly means and support our Turkey and Trimmings Collection Campaign again this year.”

Between now and the end of the year, Island Harvest is conducting numerous community-based food drives, including the 16th Annual Bethpage Turkey Drive, on Friday, Nov. 22, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Bethpage Federal Credit Union’s headquarters, 899 South Oyster Bay Road in Bethpage. Among the items needed are frozen turkeys, chicken, and ham; nonperishable food items – such as cereal, rice, pasta and stuffing mix; canned vegetables and gravy – no glass jars or containers; shelf-stable milk and juice; supermarket gift cards; and monetary donations.

Frozen turkeys and nonperishable food can be dropped off at any Panera Bread or QuickChek convenience stores in Nassau and Suffolk counties, or at Island Harvest Food Bank, 126 Spagnoli Road, Melville, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.