New food pantry opens in Valley Stream to help address food insecurity

There is a new establishment sitting on a Valley Stream corner that’s unlike most stores in the area.

While its shelves are stocked with in-demand items, the purpose of this place is to give people in need access to food without charge.

The West Nassau Center for Food Assistance & Community Support, a food pantry that opened Tuesday, hopes to give people dealing with food insecurity the nourishment they need in the face of financial and other pressures that can make buying food elsewhere difficult.

"Even if you're having financial issues, problems in your household, you can come here for support and help," said Assemb. Michaelle Solages, (D-Elmont), who played an instrumental role in opening the food pantry. "You're not going to be judged; you're going to be loved."

The food pantry is the ninth location for Long Island Cares — The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank and is among a number in the region providing provisions in the face of a growing number of U.S. households facing food insecurity.

Across the United States, 13.5% of households — or 18 million — faced food insecurity in 2023, the highest portion since 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture said in a report released this month.

In homes that have people under the age of 18, roughly 18% of households — or 6.5 million — faced food insecurity in 2023, according to the USDA’s report based on a representative portion of America’s population.

The report did not detail reasons for the prevalence of food insecurity. But Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger, a Washington, D.C.-based national coalition of more than 100 organizations, said the factors are multifaceted, including inflation and reductions of government programs such as the expansion of the child tax credit, which has ended.

Mitchell believes food banks are one way of dealing with food insecurity. But he said it also includes ensuring that domestic nutrition programs include expanding access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)and pushing for greater access to more nutritious food.

"We have to have a holistic approach to addressing food insecurity," he said. "We often say you're not going to food bank your way out of hunger. And so, it does take strong policy."

The origins of the Valley Stream food pantry date back to the pandemic. Amid concerns about food insecurity, Solages and others approached Long Island Cares about giving away food at Valley Stream Presbyterian Church in 2022.

On most open days, the church saw 30 to 40 families arriving at the emergency food center, officials said.

When the food distribution eventually closed, Solages asked Long Island Cares for a permanent replacement, which would become the food pantry. To do this, Solages secured a legislative grant of $200,000. Rep. Gregory Meeks also secured a congressional earmark in the amount of $360,000.

Obstacles to opening the site included getting zoning and variance issues resolved and overcoming concerns about lines outside, Long Island Cares staff said.

Now that the food pantry is open, the staff said they hope it will service the community with dignity and cultural awareness.

"We want people to get excited about food again," said Jessica Rosati, Long Island Cares’ vice president for programs and community services. "It stinks to have to have the heavy [pressure] of, how am I going to feed myself today? How am I going to feed my kids tonight?"

The Valley Stream site is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays are only open to military members and veterans. Some of the food items are geared to serve a large Caribbean population in the area.

Long Island Cares staff said they hope the location is also a place where community partners can also counsel people on matters like health insurance or rental assistance.

A soft launch of the site between Aug. 19 and 31 saw more than 40 families come in, staff said. And officials hope the pantry will grow from there.

"This is an established location that's going to have regular hours that not only provides the food [but] ... also provides guidance and support for people," Solages said. "So, I really think this is a great opportunity for people to get the support that they need."

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.