Oyster Bay's People Loving People food pantry offers English language classes, child care

Inside an Oyster Bay community market last week, Valerie Monroy sifted through bins of fresh produce, loaves of bread, dozens of cereal boxes and other household essentials like laundry detergent that line the shelves of her food pantry.

The small storefront at the end of Audrey Avenue is the home of People Loving People, a nonprofit that has become a lifeline for residents. The group serves more than 100 individuals and families weekly while also running English-language learning classes for adults and offering child care.

Monroy, 57, of Commack, and her sister Donna Galgano, 60, of Bayville, started a pop-up food pantry in the town just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began. It later evolved into a drive-thru pantry, helping up to 500 families a day at its peak. In 2021, the sisters moved into a storefront on Audrey Avenue.

“We wanted to create a place that was a dignified shopping experience for people that have to use a resource center,” Monroy said. “We didn’t want to just hand them a bag of dented cans and stale bread. We wanted it to be something that they felt was like a little market that they could come to.”

The store is open Wednesdays and Thursdays.

People Loving People depends on a core group of about 30 volunteers and a part-time driver, Monroy said. The organization's annual operating budget is around $150,000.

"During COVID they were a lifeline for countless people, and they've continued in generously assisting all who walk through their doors," said Rob Brusca, a board member of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce.

Feeding America, a national network of food banks, food pantries and local meal programs, estimates 44,780 children in Nassau and Suffolk counties were food insecure in 2022. A state Department of Health report released earlier this year found more than 1 in 5 Long Island adults said they worry about having enough money to buy nutritious meals, Newsday reported.

Katrina Hill, vice president of network relations and capacity building at Long Island Cares, said 60% of the people served at People Loving People are native Spanish speakers. The pantry's mission, "To love and help others," she said, is personified by allowing clients to select food based on cultural and dietary preferences. 

"This empowers the community, engages the community, encourages better health outcomes, and provides dignity and respect to all who visit," Hill said in a statement. Long Island Cares runs one of the food banks that supplies People Loving People. 

Monroy recently spoke with Newsday about the nonprofit and its journey to becoming a community staple. The interview was edited for clarity and length.

What was your motivation to start People Loving People?

My sister and I were both involved in our church food pantry at Shelter Rock Church in Syosset. We saw who was coming to the pantry — a lot of senior citizens, a lot of immigrant families — and we knew that was the case in Oyster Bay as well. So we started a mobile pop-up food pantry at the Oyster Bay Community Center. Little by little, residents started to come, and as they started to come, the Oyster Bay community started to see what was happening.

What challenges did the pandemic pose?

When COVID hit, everybody needed us. We continued to gather food from all the places that we went to — Stop & Shop, Costco, Trader Joe's and the two major food banks here on Long Island. At that time, we did a drive-thru pantry. We would have a team of six people packing bags and we would set up, and people would drive up and we would put the food in their trunk. 

What happens behind the scenes to keep the organization moving?

We depend on grants and donations. Through a Long Island Cares grant we pay our driver, who picks up all the donations to prepare us for Wednesday and Thursday, when we have the food distribution for the families to come. Besides him, it takes a team of about 30 volunteers each day to get this together.

What other services does the nonprofit offer?

We noticed a lot of the people in the community didn’t speak English and they couldn’t converse with their children’s teachers, so we decided to start an ESL class with a certified English as a Second Language teacher. First Presbyterian Church in Oyster Bay provides the location and we hold classes there twice a week for approximately 15 students. We noticed a lot of the students were having a hard time with child care, so we also offer an after-school homework helpers class — a K-2 program and a third through sixth grade program — for when their parents come to English class.