Local food bank receives over $200K from supermarket chain to fight hunger

Stop & Shop presented Island Harvest Food Bank and its president and CEO, Randi Shubin Dresner with a $204,000 check last week at Island Harvest’s Healthy Harvest Farm, on the campus of Sisters of St. Joseph at 96 2nd Ave. in Brentwood.

The donation supports the Island Harvest’s Youth Produce Project, which provides low-income children and their families with weekly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables. According to Island Harvest, the funds will allow the food bank to distribute produce to at least 490 children per week, supplementing nearly 55,000 meals.

The donation is part of a larger $2 million donation from Stop & Shop to eight Feeding America food banks across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, to support programs that fight against food insecurity by ensuring low-income families receive essential nutrition.

According to Feeding America’s 2022 Map the Meal Gap report, over 220,000 people on Long Island suffer from food insecurity, including 44,780 children, representing a 63.4% increase from the estimated 27,580 children living with food insecurity in 2021.

In addition to food distribution, the project also educates children and their families on the importance of developing and maintaining healthy, well-balanced eating habits, addressing both immediate hunger and long-term wellness.