The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank is opening its new Valley Stream food pantry on Tuesday, Sept. 10, as part of Hunger Action Day.
Located at 241 Rockaway Avenue, the pantry is known as the West Nassau Center for Food Assistance & Community Support. It is open Monday to Friday, beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesdays are “Military Appreciation Tuesdays” and open only to veterans and service members.
“Opening the West Nassau Center for Food Assistance & Community Support is an extension of Long Island Cares that aims to provide immediate and ongoing relief to those suffering from food insecurity in Valley Stream and neighboring Nassau towns,” Jessica Rosati, vice president for Programs and Community Services, said in a news release about the new pantry.
“None of this would be possible without the support of our elected officials and community partners that work together in an effort to improve the lives of others,” Rosati added.
“This is Long Island Cares’ ninth location, which brings us closer to the community by providing emergency food support to those in need,” Paule Pachter, president and CEO of Long Island Cares, said in the news release.
“We look forward to working with both the local business community and government to respond to the populations’ needs, as we’ve been doing in Freeport, Lindenhurst, Huntington Station, Hampton Bays, Hauppauge and Bethpage,” Pachter added.
Hauppauge and Lindenhurst each have two locations.
The West Nassau Center for Food Assistance & Community Support got its starts in May 2022, when New York State Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, whose district includes Valley Stream, approached Long Island Cares about helping distribute food at the Valley Stream Presbyterian Church. “They are overwhelmed,” Solages told Pachter.
Long Island Cares worked in the middle of the pandemic and found members of the Haitian and Caribbean communities and other newly arrived families struggling to put food on the table.
At the same time, Solages was enlisting the help of U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, whose district includes a section of Valley Stream. Together they secured $560,000 in government funding to help Long Island Cares establish a permanent location in Valley Stream.
“Long Island Cares has been an invaluable partner in combating food insecurity and providing critical assistance to families in our community affected by the affordability crisis,” Solages said in the news release.
“The new West Nassau Center for Food Assistance and Community Support will offer essential resources and support, directly addressing the needs of our neighbors. The diverse programs available will have a lasting impact on our most vulnerable families,” Solages said.
Long Island Cares contracted for the site in August 2022 and worked to obtain all town approvals and guide construction and maintenance projects.
“Our new Valley Stream satellite is a beacon of hope for residents in Western Nassau County who are combating food insecurity,” Lourdes Taglialatela, the on-site program coordinator, said in the news release. “At Long Island Cares we are committed to providing essential support to those in need, and our satellite sites play a crucial role in fulfilling this mission.”