Hungry on Long Island need all of us

Hunger doesn't always look the way we expect it to. It looks like a senior on a fixed income choosing between groceries and prescription medication. It looks like a veteran who served this country and now struggles to keep the refrigerator stocked. It looks like a working parent whose paycheck stretches less and less each month. And on Long Island, it is far more common than many may realize.

September is Hunger Action Month, a national call to recognize and address the food insecurity crisis affecting millions of Americans. That call has never been more urgent on Long Island.

In 2023, 1 in 12 Long Islanders experienced food insecurity, up from 1 in 13 the year before. That's an increase of more than 7% in a single year. These aren't just statistics. They represent missed meals for children who can't concentrate in school, and families that are one unexpected expense away from a food crisis.

This is what drives the work of organizations like Island Harvest Food Bank. Founded in 1992 with one woman, one car, and a simple but powerful idea that surplus food could be rescued and used to nourish neighbors in need, Island Harvest has grown into one of Long Island's leading hunger-relief organizations. Today, we are a lifeline for children, seniors, veterans, and working families across the region.

Our approach is holistic. We recognize that ending hunger requires more than food distributions alone. That's why we pair food collection with hunger awareness, nutrition education, case management and long-term workforce development through programs like the Healthy Harvest Farm and Workforce Skills Development Institute. We're not just helping people get through today. We're helping them build lasting stability for tomorrow.

That commitment is especially visible through Operation: HOPE, our program dedicated to veterans and active-duty military families. Built on a veteran-serving-veteran model, the program connects former service members with peer support, food assistance and access to essential resources. One veteran who came to the program after struggling to transition back to civilian life told us he never expected to need help putting food on the table after serving his country. Through Operation: HOPE, he found not only nutritious food for his family but a community that understood his challenges and helped him regain stability. The program serves roughly 1,000 veterans each month.

While nonprofits can build infrastructure, train volunteers and design programs, addressing hunger at the scale it demands requires support from every corner of our community. Corporate partners play an essential role through direct funding, employee volunteer programs and long-term investments that allow organizations like ours to reach more families. Companies like PMI U.S., JPMorganChase, PSEG Long Island, National Grid and FourLeaf Federal Credit Union have demonstrated how corporate engagement can strengthen local communities.

This Hunger Action Month, we're also calling on small businesses, restaurants, community groups and individuals to join the effort. Restaurants can help reduce waste by donating safe surplus food. Small businesses can sponsor food drives or encourage employees to volunteer. Community members can sort food, help distribute meals and more. Every action matters, and helps.

Every community is ultimately judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. On Long Island, that can mean the senior deciding between rent and groceries, and the family working hard but still falling short. Food insecurity numbers are moving in the wrong direction, but that can change. During Hunger Action Month and beyond, we invite every Long Islander to be part of the solution.

This guest essay reflects the views of Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank.