Lindenhurst Farmers Market stays open, braves chill to help those in need

A Lindenhurst farmers market that was due to close before Thanksgiving has stayed open to become a helping hand for Long Islanders facing food insecurity this winter.

The Lindenhurst Farmers Market is the only location on Long Island where people can pick up checks for the state’s FreshConnect Emergency Response Program, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last month that the state was infusing $2 million into the FreshConnect program, which is designed to help those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits get fresh produce supplied from local farmers. The funds will be distributed until Dec. 31 or until they run out, officials said.

The emergency relief money was part of $106 million that Hochul earmarked to address food insecurity following the federal government shutdown and program cuts.

Each person in need can receive up to $20 in checks each week they can spend at approved farmstands and farmers markets such as the Lindenhurst market. Income requirements are listed on site and people need only to initial that they have received the checks to start using them. The vouchers can then be used to purchase fruits and vegetables, as well as milk, bread, eggs, baked goods and other approved items, such as honey and syrup.

There are other places on Long Island where the checks can be used, but many of those markets and farmstands have closed for the season, leading to lines of shoppers at the check distribution center at the outdoor Lindenhurst market on East Hoffman Avenue. The market each weekend day serves as many as 1,000 people coming from Hicksville, Huntington and beyond, and $60,000 in checks have been given out since Nov. 22.

'It helps people'

Lindenhurst residents Darlene Perez Fantel and Robert Fantel, who run the market, said that after applying to be part of the program and then getting approval, they had to scramble to get permission from village officials to extend the market. Instead of being open only on Saturdays in the spring, summer and fall, the outdoor market is now open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the end of December.

The couple, who are working to expand the market to participate in other government programs, said such relief benefits everyone.

“It helps sustain agriculture and it helps people from infancy to seniors,” said Perez Fantel, 61. “It’s a community hub that we’re trying to build.”

According to Long Island Cares, more than 300,000 Long Islanders don't know where they will get their next meal.

The couple said they have been overwhelmed by the people who have come in for the emergency response checks and expressed their gratitude, some with tears in their eyes. Even as workers are setting up the market, lines have already formed, they said.

“We’re all moving as fast as we can even though we’re frozen to the core,” Perez Fantel said with a laugh about her and the volunteers who help run the market. “It’s a nice feeling to know you can help people in need and give them a little peace of mind for maybe a couple of days.”

She said sometimes those who have come to shop will jump in to help unload the produce.

“They’re not just there to take, they are part of that market community,” she said. “It’s been really amazing to see.”

Robert Fantel, 59, said many who help run the market, including himself, have faced hard times of their own in the past.

“We know what it means to just have that little bit of extra help,” he said.

But there are still difficult moments. Last Sunday, when the checks ran out an hour before closing and lines of people were still waiting, Perez Fantel had to break the news.

“I felt the blood drain from my head,” she said. “It was heartbreaking.”

Eating for health

The checks they give out also can be used at the Dobler Farms stand in Deer Park. Erika Dobler, who owns the stand, is also the main supplier at the Lindenhurst market. She gets reimbursed after stamping and sending the checks back to the state.

Dobler buys wholesale from three farmers out east, and on these colder days loads up on heartier produce such as broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. She’ll supplement those with home-baked zucchini or carrot bread, she said.

“Things are scarce now,” she said. “We weren’t anticipating having a market at this time of the year.”

Dobler, 52, said the program aligns with her larger goals of getting people to eat healthier, especially since many food pantries rely on canned or boxed foods.

“You want to detach them from the processed food, bring them back into real food and bring cooking back into the household,” she said. “This is another outlet for them.”

The chance to help people facing food insecurity has altered perspective as market managers, Fantel said. During the regular season, spying rain in the forecast for a Saturday would make them grumpy, he said. Now, when the forecast shows rain, snow or plummeting temperatures, it doesn’t faze them.

“This has changed it for us,” he said. “We have a purpose to help people, and helping those people is so important, it doesn’t matter what we’re going to stand in for the day.”