Mitchel Field commissary closure concerns Long Island veterans

The Mitchel Field Commissary in Uniondale has been closed since the July Fourth weekend due to structural issues, raising concerns from the Long Island veteran community that depends on it for affordable food.

The closure has limited the food options for the Island's 80,000 veterans. Veterans seeking the tax-free discount of 30% provided by the commissary must now travel to Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

"A lot of people rely on commissary food because the prices are lower and they serve active and retired personnel," said Matt DeGregorio, 76, of Levittown, who served as past commander of the Levittown VFW Post. "A lot of people rely on it because of fixed income and now it’s tough, because we have to buy food in regular supermarkets. We’re starting to feel it now and we want to buy our food at the fair price."

DeGregorio was one of about 50 veterans who gathered with officials at the Mitchel Field Commissary on Wednesday, pushing for it to reopen. A sign on the window said it would be closed until further notice.

"The closure is necessary to effectively evaluate a safety concern within the facility," it said.

After bricks started falling from the ceiling of the pre-World War II building on July Fourth weekend, an engineer determined that it was no longer structurally sound, according to Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-Island Park).

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense could not be reached for comment. There is no public reopening date.

Long Island officials, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and the rest of the congressional delegation, have called for the Department of Defense to make the necessary repairs to reopen the commissary and said that as of Wednesday they had not received a response. 

Angelo Roefaro, a spokesman for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), said in a statement that the Department of Defense has told their office that "this is a temporary closure to make structural repairs to the building, which was endangering staff and customers."

Once bricks began falling last month, the commissary evacuated the building and redistributed 7,860 pounds of food to the Melville-based Island Harvest food bank, officials there said.

Island Harvest and other entities are trying to fill the gap. Studies have shown that working-age veterans experience food insecurity at a higher rate than the general population.

The food bank said it has its own veterans' program, called Operation Hope, which distributes meals directly to veterans and military families.

At the same time, the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency hosts a food pantry from Monday through Friday at its office behind Nassau University Medical Center. The pantry is free to all veterans, up to four times per month. 

"I’m feeding more and more veterans now that this is closed. They come to me rather than go to Brooklyn," said Ralph Esposito, the director of the agency. "It’s very important. ... Most of these guys are not young guys. The majority of them served in Vietnam and some from Korea."

Past Nassau County Cmdr. Frank Colon, who also served as district commander with the Rockville Center American Legion, said the commissary needs to be open "sooner than later."

"In Nassau County, we’re very proud of our service to the country. So, with that in mind, let's get the Department of Defense to get off their butts and get this straightened out," Colon said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.