Groups Step Up Food Efforts for the Holidays

Pantries and special food drives are operating throughout Huntington. With the holiday season arriving, and many people hurting financially because of the Covid-19 shutdown, nonprofits, school groups, bags of food and meals to go are becoming available for the holidays and beyond. Many of the longstanding pantries have had to change how they operate, turning into drive-through operations.

Here are a few ways to contribute or receive food for the holidays or beyond.

The big turkey giveaway run by the Andre Sorrentino family will go off on Monday, converting the event into an all-day pickup rather than an evening affair where thousands of people jam into the family’s autobody shop grounds.

On Saturday, Huntington Assembly of God is running a Harvest Dinner Drive-Through, where families can receive meals. Registration required.

Scout groups, families, religious organizations, running clubs, police and others are donating or distributing meals to those in need.  The Northport-East Northport Community Drug and Alcohol Task Force is sponsoring a food drive at the First Presbyterian Church in Northport, Saturday from  11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Upper Room Christian World Center in Dix Hills is setting up Thursday for its food giveaway on Saturday.

Also Saturday, the VA Medical Center will host a turkey giveaway for veterans. A VA healthcare card is required to receive a turkey between noon and 2 p.m., as long as supplies last.

Helping Hand Rescue Mission, which  distributed empty cardboard boxes to donors to fill with food, has begun taking  those boxes back in for the Thanksgiving holiday. The mission feeds thousands of people throughout the year.

The Greater Long Island Running Club provided the mission with several hundred  pounds of foodstuffs, along with $1,000 in supermarket gift cards. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church volunteers contributed 800 items, and earlier this week, the Huntington Highway Department contributed 10 boxes of food through its “Highway Cares – Third Annual Food Drive”.

If you  are looking for food pantries, check the Long Island Cares locator.

If you are in need of food to feed your family, or you want to donate to  a pantry, search “food” on our calendar. Many food pantries run year round, but check the schedule ahead of time for days and hours.

 

 

 

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