THE BLUEPRINT:
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$100,000 donated to Long Island Cares to combat food insecurity.
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Funding supports Nassau County pantries, veterans, and households.
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Over 313,800 Long Islanders face food insecurity, including 71,500 children.
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Donation helps address rising costs and ongoing hunger challenges.
To help alleviate food insecurity, Port Washington-based Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation donated $100,000 to Long Island Cares, Inc – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, which is headquartered in Hauppauge.
The funding is to support Long Island Cares’ Nassau County food pantries, supplying toiletries and household supplies. It will also support the organization’s Veterans Project with food, toiletries and household supplies.
“Every year the Dejana Foundation steps up in the fight to end food insecurity here on Long Island,” Michael Haynes, vice president of government relations, advocacy and social policy at Long Island Cares, said.
This year the need for support is especially meaningful as experts say costs are rising, and people are struggling to make ends meet.
“We are so grateful for their most recent gift of $100,000, which equips Long Island Cares with the expanded capacity needed to keep pace with a Long Island still recovering from the increased hunger associated with the recent federal government shutdown,” Haynes said.
For the Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation, the support is all about neighbor helping neighbors on Long Island.
“These grants embody the Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation’s spirit of giving but also represent a call to action for both individuals and other philanthropic organizations to give what they can to address the very real problem of food insecurity in our local community. This is not a faraway need—it’s right in our own backyard,” Valerie Mallon, program director at the Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation, said.
“Our community is strongest when we come together to feed, support, and uplift those who need it most,” Mallon added. “We have great confidence in these three organizations to use these funds to continue and expand their positive impact in our community.”
The donation “will make a big difference in helping us feed our neighbors facing food insecurity. We are grateful for the Foundation’s support because it will touch the lives of many Long Islanders. This is a great milestone in our work to ensure food access for Long Islanders in need,” John Probert, grants specialist of Long Island Cares, said.
More than 313,800 Long Islanders are food insecure, with an estimated 71,500 of them children, according to the most recent data from Long Island Cares.
Adina Genn
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