LI Cares To Hold Multi-Cultural 'Adopt-A-Family' Event For Thanksgiving

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Long Island Cares is gearing up for its fifth annual Thanksgiving "Adopt-a-Family" program, but it will look a bit different this year.

For the first time, the food bank will feed multi-cultural communities that don't celebrate the holiday with a turkey and the trimmings. The food bank will still provide the traditional turkey, cranberries and pumpkin pie that many associate with Thanksgiving, but it will also be sharing meals targeting the Central/South American, Caribbean Islander and Kosher communities, Long Island Cares said.

• Central and South American – chicken, maseca (corn flour), rice, refried beans, ingredients for Tres Leches cake and more.
• Caribbean – pork loin, rice, an assortment of beans, garlic, Goya flan custard, and more.
• Kosher – chicken, assorted vegetables and fruits, stuffing, gravy, pie filling, and more.

Inflation has resulted in the cost of food going up by nearly 45 percent. Families have had a very difficult time affording the items on their holiday menus as a result, said Paule Pachter, CEO of Long Island Cares.

"Inflation has also impacted food banks that are struggling to pay the increased cost of food, which for Long Island Cares represents approximately 70% of the food we deliver to the community," Pachter said via news release. "This holiday season will be difficult for all the pantries and soup kitchens we support with food and funds. We are seeing too many empty shelves at our food pantries and in our own warehouse, and the only way we will be able to provide enough food to our neighbors in need will be if the public and corporate community donates to support programs like ‘Adopt-a-Family.’"

“Adopt-a-Family” was created in 2018, when Long Island Cares fed 2,000 food-insecure
families a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The number jumped to 5,000 in 2019, 7,000 in
2020 and 11,000 in 2021. This year, the food bank aims to feed 7,500 families with one of the four different kinds of meals on the menu.

Individuals or families in need of food can go to the Long Island Cares website and find a food pantry the organization works with to see if they can get their Thanksgiving meal there. People seeking food were asked to call the pantry ahead of time before arriving.

Long Island Cares will distribute food from its Mobile Outreach and Support our Seniors
programs. Partner agencies will also receive food, the organization said.

The "Adopt-a-Family" food drive has become a staple at Long Island Cares over the past five years, said William Gonyou, the community events and food drive manager at the organization.

"As the organization’s largest and most successful food drive, it has become a true testament of
Long Islanders supporting Long Islanders," Gonyou said. “This is much more than providing a meal. It is about helping families come together during the holidays. It is about somebody’s first grandchild experiencing a happy first Thanksgiving. It is about that single parent who worries about being able to provide during the holidays. The reach this program has is incredible and simply proof that Long Island cares."

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness of hunger in our local communities, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that 1 in 8 people face hunger. 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.