April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month — And wow, do we have the best ones! Nothing we do would be possible without the incredible effort, enthusiasm, and thoughtfulness of our amazing volunteers. This month, we THANK YOU!

Would you like to make a difference? Sign up to volunteer, organize a collection drive, make a donation, or help spread the word.❤️

Pictured: Maribel, Robin, and Maripaz preparing for food distribution

In the month of April, we had 2,033 visits to our food pantry. This is the only month we have ever had more than 2,000 visits. Local families are really struggling to make ends meet. The cost of housing and food continues to rise, and more and more people need our help to have enough to eat.

We provided 61,787 meals worth of food to our customers this month, compared to 38,722 meals last April. Keeping up with this growing demand and ensuring we have enough food is always a challenge.

A huge thank you to: Stop & Shop Southampton, HAPCO Farms - Fresh from the Start, LI CARES, Island Harvest, and Citarella for donating food to us every week!

UPCOMING FOOD DRIVES:

Saturday, May 3rd:

Sally Booth and volunteers will be at the Quogue Post Office collecting food

Saturday, May 10th:

Island Harvest and the National Association of Letter Carriers will host their annual Stamp Out Hunger. Simply leave your donation of non-perishable food in a bag near your mailbox on May 10th, and your letter carrier will do the rest.



In addition to all of these wonderful donations and volunteer efforts, we are still purchasing a tremendous amount of food each month. Your gifts allow everyone in our community to put healthy food on the table, week after week.

Pictured: Maripaz meeting one on one with a client

Our Assistance Program serves local children, adults, and families with a wide range of support. Any support we provide is funded exclusively through charitable donations. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Southampton Bath and Tennis Charitable Fund, the Dalessandro Foundation, the McCombe Family Foundation, and all of our donors who make our assistance program possible!

Here are several expenses we covered this month that demonstrate the significant impact this program makes on people's lives: 

• Paid rent for a family whose son almost died in an accident
• Paid a security deposit so a single mom could move into a new apartment after living with friends for nearly a year
• Paid rent for a victim of domestic violence who is now supporting her family all on her own
• Arranged for medical rides for cancer patients
• Paid rent for a high school student graduating with honors who is living on her own after her family made the hard choice to return to South America
• Paid rent for a senior raising her granddaughter, who is battling cancer

We are able to be a crucial safety net thanks to donors like you. 

A big shoutout to all of the wonderful weekly volunteers who unload deliveries, pack bags, sort and fold clothing, distribute groceries, and deliver hot meals. Our community is so lucky to have you!



Frances Alioto, Tim Bishop, Sally Booth, Tarsis Carrion, Cheryl Curtis, Carl DeRiso, Melisa Didio, John Dios, Steve Dore, Jane & Vic Finalborgo, Paul Fletcher, Bobby & Alice Flynn, Julian Garcia, Bill Haubert, Carol Hayward, Susan Heller, Chris Keizerstein, R. Scott Lewis, Thomas Lorito, Julian Garcia, Aimee Larkin, Carol Gilbert Lynch, Harry Hackett, Diane Karlin, Bruce McGowin, Sara McLoughlin, Amy Mobius, Dianey Moreno Raynor, Kris Naso, Casio Norwood, Barbara Organisciak, Marianne & Ernest Preiato, Anne Ramunno, John Romano, Mary Romano, Judi Roth, Harold Sammy, John Scranton, Bill Sickles, Linda Stengel, Catherine Stoll, Melissa Sutter, Amy Tanner, John Tillotson, Santa Tush, Jim Tuthill, Anna Tuzzola, Lisa Vahradian, Kim Warco, Kendra Wates, Wolfman, work-study students from Southampton High School, and Groups from East End Disability

Thank you so much to everyone who steps up to help us for special occasions, in the summer, or whenever they can!



Would you like to make a difference? Sign up to volunteer, organize a collection drive, make a donation, or help spread the word.❤️

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Gary Aldrich is the kind of guy who always shows up. In addition to being a longtime volunteer firefighter, he started volunteering at Heart of the Hamptons after he retired from his job with the Southampton Highway Department. After six years of delivering weekly meals to local seniors, Gary is stepping down. We know he will love spending more time in North Carolina but we will miss seeing Gary at Heart of the Hamptons, and we thank him for always showing up.

Pictured: Maripaz, Robin, Chris and Molly setting up for food distribution at SUNY Stony Brook Southampton

Our satellite distribution at the Stony Brook Southampton Campus will reopen this coming Friday from 10 a.m. to noon in the university’s parking lot near the Fine Arts building.

We are so grateful for Stony Brook Southampton’s conferences and events coordinator, Laura Lyons, who spearheaded this initiative, and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Wendy Pearson, for welcoming us to the campus each year from May to October. Especially in the warmer months, it can be an extra challenge to get in and around Southampton Village, and so having a pick-up location on the college campus is a great addition to our program.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Southampton Intermediate School hosted a Resource Fair for all families to learn more about programs in our community. Maribel and Maripaz were happy to meet new families that would benefit from our services. Thank you SIS for including us in this wonderful event! 🤍

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." - Mahatma Gandhi

Help make a difference in our community, sign up to join our team of dedicated volunteers.

PARTNERS

Thank you to these local businesses and organizations

who help make our work possible:

• Amber Waves
• ARF Hamptons
• Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
• Book Fairies
• Boyscouts Troup 58
• Bridgehampton UFSD
• Carissa's Bakery
• Catena's Market
• Citarella
• Compass Cares
• Coopers Beach Shack
• Corwith Farms
• Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons
• Douglas Elliman
• East End Food Institute
• First Presbyterian Church
• Flour Power
• Food Rescue South Fork
• Goldberg's
• Golden Pear Cafe
• Halsey Farms
• Hampton Bays UFSD
• Hamptons United Methodist Church
• HAPCO Farms/Fresh from the Start 
• Hometown Taxi
• Island Harvest
• Jones and Little
• Kiwanis Club of Southampton
• The Gertrude and Leonard McComb Foundation
• Lions Club of Southampton
• Long Island Cares

• Mayor Bill Manger and the Village Board of Trustees 
• North Sea Farms
• Old Town Lodge Free Masons
• Organización Latino-Americana
• Our Lady of the Hamptons
• Our Lady of Poland RC Church
• Pajama Program
• Peconic Prime Meats
• Pro Bono Partnership
• Rogers Family Farm
• Rogers Memorial Library
• Sabrosa Mexican Grill
• Sag Harbor UFSD
• Share the Harvest
• Shinnecock Nation
• Shippy's Restaurant
• Slow Food East End
• Sotheby's International Realty
• South Fork Bakery
• Southampton Little League
• Southampton Rotary
• Southampton Union Free School District
• Spanish Apostolate 
• Supervisor Maria Moore and the Southampton Town Board
• Supplies for Success
• SYS Recreation Center
• Tate's Bakeshop
• The Children's School
• The Food Lab
• The Green Thumb
• Tuckahoe CSD
• Windmill Lane Bake Shop

Thank you for your incredible support!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1. What is the best way to help?

Monetary donations directly help us to feed our neighbors in need. Donate here!

2. Are you accepting food or clothing donations?

We are currently accepting donations at our new location at 44 Meeting House Lane.

3. Do you need volunteers?

Yes! Please sign up on our website here. 

4. How does one register for the food pantry?

One can register ahead by calling our office (631-259-3550) to speak with our bilingual staff. New customers are welcome to visit during food pantry hours- Wednesdays and Fridays at 44 Meeting House Lane, Southampton from 10AM-12PM. Upon arrival, they will be asked to fill out a registration form and provide valid identification. This form is used solely for reporting numbers to the food bank, so we receive enough food to feed our customers.

STAY UP TO DATE:

Our mission is simple - to help people in our local community who are in need with dignity and without discrimination. For the past 45 years, we've been able to do that together. We thank you!