Plainview Food Pantry Lends Support To SNAP Recipients With Community Help

PLAINVIEW, NY – With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits still on hold and government workers furloughed, the Rudman Family Food Pantry, located at the Mid-Island Y JCC, is stepping up to help its community. The food pantry celebrated its 10-year anniversary this past October.

Director of Volunteer Services Gail Warrack said they have seen a greater influx of people who need help.

"We've been getting an enormous amount of phone calls," she said. "A lot of Long Islanders live paycheck to paycheck. It feels like the pandemic — it's been anxiety-inducing for everyone. We don't know what's going to happen or how long this will last."

Although there is uncertainty surrounding the situation, Warrack said the pantry is doing all it can to support those who need it, and the community is helping as well.

"We are trying to get ahead of all the anxiety and stress to make sure we can provide for families that need it," she said. "There has been an outpouring of community support. We get so many phone calls from people who want to help families."

Warrack said they received 1,100 pounds of food donated in one day, hundreds more each day. In the 3 days that followed the halt on SNAP benefits, Warrack said the food pantry helped 75 people.

She said it is with the help of their community that they can make this possible.

"We have a very vibrant community," she said. "We work with synagogues that do food drives, and businesses and schools have reached out so they could do more food drives for us. We've had local hospitals reach out about patients who need food."

CEO of Mid Island Y JCC Rick Lewis said that every year, he has seen more and more people come to the food pantry.

"No matter what the crisis of the moment is, when people are forced to make a decision to pay for food, or medicine, or rent," he said, "we see people come here for food."

Just this week, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must send full November SNAP benefits to states by Friday.

Lewis continued by saying that even when SNAP benefits are back, there will still be a high demand for help, and the pantry will be there for those who need it.

"The threat and now reality of not getting SNAP benefits is causing a panic," he said. "Even when they are back, there will be a lag of 2-3 weeks until receiving the money, and we will be here to help."

The Rudman Family Food Pantry accepts non-perishable food donations, as well as money donations.

"One of the most important things to note is that most food pantries, including ours, is that we accept only non-perishable items, but what people need is milk, eggs, fresh food, vegetables, and meat," he said. "We request gift cards so we can buy these items for people. It's hard to keep them stocked."

They also accept donations of supplies, such as laundry detergent, shampoo, etc, Lewis said: "Anything you think of, we try to have here."

With Thanksgiving coming up, Warrack said there is extra stress on everyone.

"We want to be able to provide that holiday for everyone who celebrates it," she said. "We give non-perishable food with gift cards so families can buy a turkey if they need it. For smaller families, we donate chickens."

They said the pantry tries to keep local to a 10-15-mile radius to keep their pantry stocked. They can direct anyone outside that radius to their newest food pantry for support.

More about the Rudman Family Food Pantry, such as how to donate or receive food, can be found on their website, or Gail Warrack can be reached directly at (516) 822-3535 or gwarrack@miyjcc.org