Summer Food Service Program
The summer can be a stressful time for parents. Throughout the school year tens of thousands of students count on free breakfast and lunch to get the food they need to be ready to learn and play. Once the school year ends, the students and families look for meals in non-traditional locations. As a sponsor of the Summer Food Service Program, the New York State Department of Education grants us the opportunity to partner with close to 35 community locations across Long Island. Some of these partners include libraries, schools, recreation centers, health centers, churches, parks and more. In 2022, we served nearly 75,000 meals to more than 2,500 children. Each site also participated in hands on nutrition education lessons to help the children understand the value of eating a healthy meal. Many of the children were in awe at how much sugar was in their favorite breakfast cereal and drinks. They even tried new fruits they never had before.
For further information about this program, please contact Zoila Ogden, Targeted Populations Supervisor at zoila@islandharvest.org or 631-873-4775.
Kids Weekend Backpack Feeding Program
With the partnership of 20 schools across Long Island in the most vulnerable school districts, we are able to deliver packs of food to more than 1300 students each week. The students receive a pack of food that includes two breakfasts and two snacks, as well as the ingredients to a meal they can eat together with their family for dinner. The students look forward to these packs each weekend to share with their families. In addition to these packs, we include newsletters with recipes and tips on healthy eating and community resources.
For further information about this program, please contact Zoila Ogden, Targeted Populations Supervisor at zoila@islandharvest.org or 631-873-4775.
School Pantry Program
With more than 100,000 children on Long Island who are dealing with food insecurity, we have increased our work within the schools. Schools are now offering more services to students beyond education. Some schools on Long Island have extended their services to include physical health and mental health appointments, before and after school care and food pantries. Our School Pantry program is operated at 43 schools, including 3 college pantries. These schools offer food to students throughout the school year in a discreet manner to take the stigma out of accessing food assistance. The convenience of these on-site school pantries allows the families and students to get the food they need in a trusted and comfortable environment.
For further information about this program, please contact Zoila Ogden, Targeted Populations Supervisor at zoila@islandharvest.org or 631-873-4775.
Youth Produce Project
The Youth Produce Project has been delivering fresh produce to children and their families for the past six years. With this program, we have an agreement with several of our member agencies who serve youth; including childcare centers, recreation centers and after school programs. The youth at these sites receive different types of fresh produce every other week and they learn about each type of produce and the different ways to prepare it. By involving the youth in the learning process, they become interested in the meal preparation and are willing to try new foods. In addition to providing access to fresh produce, our Island Harvest Nutrition Coordinators visit each of the sites to teach the youth and their families about the benefits of eating healthy and how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their meals each day. The youth regularly ask for more produce and are excited to try new varieties of produce.