'Drive Out Hunger': Harvest Food Drive Fights Food Insecurity

EAST HAMPTON, NY — An annual tradition aimed at stamping out food insecurity is back in East. Hampton: The 12th Annual Harvest Food Drive, which has helped to stock the East Hampton Food Pantry's shelves for years, is set to take place soon.

The event unfolds on Saturday, November 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers will be collecting donations of canned goods and non-perishable food on the lawn at the East Hampton Middle School on Newtown Lane.

At the same time, just across Newtown Lane at Stop & Shop, volunteers will be manning shopping carts and distributing lists of needed items for shoppers to purchase and add to the carts.

For those who'd like to give sooner, and from the comfort of home, there's an option, via a virtual food drive for the East Hampton Food Pantry by the organization YouGiveGood.

To donate, click 2024 Harvest Food Drive - YouGiveGoods and "go shopping."

The virtual drive kicked off on October 7 and will run through November 11. The food purchased from an available list will all be delivered directly to the pantry; donations are tax-deductible.

The need is dire, the East Hampton Food Pantry said.

According to CensusReporter.org, East Hampton's poverty rate, with 11.7 percent of individuals living below the poverty line, is nearly double Suffolk County's rate of 6.5 percent.

"More and more local families and seniors are struggling as the expense of groceries, gasoline and home heating empties slender wallets," a release from the East Hampton Food Pantry said. "Our numbers have ballooned this year, and with nearly 10,000 more individuals served by mid-October this year than during the same time frame in 2023, we’re on track to hit 40,000 by year’s end."

“The growing number of neighbors in need is concerning,” Harvest Food Drive Founder Rev. Dr. Connie Jones said, adding that, according to census data, 24 percent of kids and seven percent of seniors live below the poverty line in East Hampton.

"The numbers are concerning, but each year, our community steps up — especially during the holidays — to show the kind of generosity that’s synonymous with East Hampton," she said.