East Hampton Pantry Fights Food Insecurity With New Food Drive

EAST HAMPTON, NY — In a tireless fight against growing food insecurity on the East End, the East Hampton Food Pantry will be participating in a food drive hosted by Stop & Shop, NBC, and Long Island Cares.

The event takes place at Stop & Shop stores across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Volunteers will be stationed at the Stop & Shop on Newtown Lane in East Hampton on June 1 from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. They’ll hand out lists of much-needed food to shoppers — supporters can just add an item or two to their baskets as they peruse store aisles, the pantry said.

NBC sponsors its Feeding Our Families drive each year, often sending remote camera crews to report on the drive’s progress. Last year, 200 tons of food were collected and distributed to area food banks; this year’s goal is 1 million meals, according to the pantry.

Located on the Town Hall campus, the East Hampton Food Pantry fed some 30,000 neighbors last year and is on track to far exceed that number.

"The only food pantry that serves all residents of the Town of East Hampton, from Montauk to Wainscott, we’ve seen our numbers surge. We fed some 15,660 individuals during the first quarter of 2024," pantry officials said.