Suffolk OTB Provides Meals For Hundreds Of Food-Insecure Children

ISLANDIA, NY — The Suffolk OTB donated $1,500 to Longwood Blessings to help feed hundreds of food-insecure children through its Jake’s 58 Charitable Giving Program, the OTB announced.

Longwood Blessings provides weekend meals to students experiencing food insecurity in Medford, Gordon Heights, Shirley, Ridge, Middle Island and Coram. The donation will pay for 300 meals.

"Trisha Ewald and her team at Blessings in a Backpack are warriors for children faced with food insecurity," said Phil Boyle, president and CEO of Suffolk OTB, in a news release. "Suffolk OTB’s Charitable Giving Program always seeks to maximize its community impact and we are pleased to support their fight to end childhood hunger."

In 2020, 14.8 percent of households with children were food insecure, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many children on Long Island would go hungry without the assistance of such programs as Longwood Blessing in a Backpack, which makes sure students take home healthy meals to make it through the weekend, the Suffolk OTB wrote.

"I was thrilled to be able to connect Jake’s 58 with such an amazing nonprofit like Longwood Blessing in a Backpack," said Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D—Mt. Sinai. "Trisha Ewald and her team under the national organization, Blessings in a Backpack, provide food to elementary students who are experiencing food insecurity in the Longwood Central School District. Thanks to Jake’s 58 and its generous grant, Blessings will be able to provide 300 hunger-free weekends."

The Longwood Blessings feeds 468 children every week. Children who experience long-term food insecurity develop more slowly, have trouble learning and have difficulty focusing in class, according to Move For Hunger. They are more prone to illness and tend to be hospitalized more frequently than those from food secure homes. They also can experience behavioral issues that include being less likely to be social or participate in activities in or out of school.

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.