Turkeys Distributed To Long Islanders In Need In Farmingdale

FARMINGDALE, NY — Hundreds of food-insecure Long Islanders were given free Thanksgiving turkeys on Thursday by Suffolk officials, police officers and East Farmingdale firefighters, the county announced.

Residents in need, as well as representatives from local food pantries, homeless shelters, and charities received turkeys from Suffolk Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association President Lou Civello and the firefighters at Airport Plaza in Farmingdale.

Officials formed a human assembly line to pass out turkeys one by one and place them into the backs of a line of vehicles to be transported throughout the community to designated families who are facing food insecurity this Thanksgiving.

Thousands of turkeys will be given away by Stew Leonard’s across the tri-state area to help combat food insecurity, the county wrote.

According to Long Island Cares, more than 234,000 Long Islanders experience food insecurity. Of this number, more than 65,000 of them are children.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness in our local communities of hunger, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks and 60,000 local meals programs across the country, estimates that nearly 34 million people, including 9 million children — about 1 in 6 Americans — are living with food insecurity. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.