Local food bank to hold Veterans’ Stand-Down event

Addressing the needs of people who have served our nation in the U.S. armed forces but now need assistance, Island Harvest Food Bank is hosting a Veterans’ Stand Down on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 126 Spagnoli Road in Melville.

The event, which includes breakfast and lunch for participants, will provide veterans with food support, dental services, assistance managing utility bills. Services through the Veterans Administration (VA), including mental health, recovery, and suicide prevention, along with benefits assistance, will also be available.

While many Long Islanders endure hardships due to inflationary pressures and the region’s high cost of living, veterans who are living on a fixed income are disproportionately affected, notes Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest. “So many of our service men and women gave so much for our country, and many have now fallen on hard times,” she said. “We owe so much to our veterans, and we are pleased to be able to provide outreach and support to help them not just through a one-day stand-down event, but through our Operation: HOPE initiative aimed at veterans and military families struggling to make ends meet.”

Nassau and Suffolk counties have more than 174,000 veterans, making Long Island the nation’s second-largest home to former service members, next to San Diego.

Island Harvest’s Operation: HOPE is made possible via the event’s presenting sponsor, Apple Bank, as well as the VA, local businesses and locally elected officials.For more information and to RSVP, contact Jenny Schaeffer at (631) 873-4775, or [email protected].