|  PIONEERING NEW APPROACHES TO HUNGER RELIEF |
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LONG ISLAND CARES DEVELOPS NEW CHILDREN'S BREAKFAST FOOD TRUCK TO REACH OUT TO 70,000 CHILDREN IMPACTED BY FOOD INSECURITY
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Long Island Cares, Inc. - The Harry Chapin Food Bank has developed a first-of-its-kind program to address the problems of hunger and food insecurity on Long Island, which currently impact more than 316,000 people in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The program, AsparaGus' Breakfast Food Truck, will primarily respond to the needs of more than
70,000 children who are hungry or significantly food insecure and who require a healthy, nutritious and convenient breakfast, especially during the summer and other times when schools are not open. When local schools are open, most of these children are eligible to receive a free or reduced cost healthy breakfast and lunch at their schools.
AsparaGus' Breakfast Truck is a fully equipped vehicle that will have the capacity to deliver easy-to-eat, no cost, nutritious breakfast meals. The Truck will travel throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties and will partner with schools, local community organizations and municipalities to assist the more than 70,000 local children who are food insecure or hungry. The Food Truck will be stocked with healthy cold cereals, fresh fruit, fresh or shelf stable low-fat milk, fresh juices and nutritious snacks that will be dispensed directly from the vehicle.
As the regional food bank for Long Island, Long Island Cares, Inc. distributes approximately 7.2 million pounds of nutritious food, personal care products, and household supplies annually through a network of 600 community-based member agencies. These include food pantries, soup kitchens, day care centers, Head Start programs and other organizations that assist our neighbors in need.
THE CHALLENGE OF ASSISTING FOOD INSECURE CHILDREN ON LONG ISLAND:
Based upon the findings of the most recent Hunger in America Study compiled by Feeding America, the nation's largest national hunger relief organization representing nearly 200 food banks, there is a total of 316,000 people including 70,000 children in the Long Island Region who are considered to be hungry or food insecure, and rely upon the assistance of the emergency food network.
Since 2010 Long Island Cares, Inc. has made at-risk children who are in need of emergency food assistance a top priority, employing a coordinated and aggressive response to the problem. Our Children's Nutrition Programs include 21 Kids Café After-School Mentoring Programs across Nassau and Suffolk counties, our Pack it Up for Kids weekend food program that operates in partnership with school districts, and our Summer Feeding Program to provide breakfast and/or lunch when school is closed. In addition, we operate emergency food pantries at our three community-based satellite centers in Freeport, Lindenhurst and Huntington Station, where we serve children and their families.
In 2014, our Kids Café programs served an average of 848 children per month and delivered 102,408 nutritious meals and snacks to sites across the Island. Our Pack it Up for Kids program provided 2,720 meals to an average of 268 children on a monthly basis. We also provided 1,222 children with 7,528 meals as part of our Summer Food Service Program. In 2014, on average, our three satellite locations provided emergency food support to 623 children monthly. Within the first four months of 2015, our Kids Café programs are assisting an average of 1,175 children per month, and we have already delivered 49,866 healthy meals and snacks to 21 community locations. We are seeing a 38.4% increase in the number of children we are able to assist within this program. Our Pack it Up for Kids program has already served 402 children in 2015, which represents an increase of 50% over the entire 2014 period. Collectively, our satellite locations are seeing an average of 534 children monthly.
Long Island Cares currently operates several mobile outreach programs that address the food needs of seniors, veterans, the homeless, low-income families and food insecure children, while also providing information and referral services. Two of these mobile programs received the prestigious Hunger's Hope Award for Agency Capacity from Feeding America in 2011. In 2014, we launched the very first Mobile School Pantry in collaboration with the Brentwood School District, which currently supports 245 families in one of Long Island's most disadvantaged communities.
ABOUT THE MOBILE BREAKFAST FOOD TRUCK:
Our Breakfast Food Truck is both a first-of-its-kind model program, and one that is not operated by any other non-profit organization within our region. The food truck will partner with several organizations including local libraries, health clinics, local municipalities, and our own satellite locations to provide easy access to a healthy breakfast for children in need. When local schools are not open, the food truck will schedule morning visits on a daily basis to communities where a high concentration of children in need reside. When schools are open, and children are able to receive their school meal, the food truck will be dispensed to visit locations where our seniors and veterans in need of food assistance are located, and the model of partnering with local organizations and municipalities will be duplicated for this population as well.
The food truck is equipped with a complete stainless steel interior including counter space, shelving, cabinets and storage areas. A refrigerator and freezer is included as part of the interior, along with a sink, 40 gallon fresh water tank, 50 gallon waste tank and one endless water heater. A low emissions generator and electrical hook up is featured. All of the foods dispensed from the truck will be ready-to-eat and will not require any cooking equipment. Food will be dispensed with paper and plasticware utensils, and the vehicle will feature images of children, the logos of our funders, as well as the image of our Children's Nutrition Services mascot, AsparaGus the Friendly Dragon.
ASPARAGUS' BREAKFAST FOOD TRUCK FUNDING:
The curbside truck has been donated to Long Island Cares, Inc. by Purolator International. Major funding has been provided by Island Federal Credit Union. Additional funding support has been provided by Stop and Shop, Chase Bank, The Harry Chapin Foundation, and United Way of Long Island.
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About Long Island Cares, Inc.
Long Island Cares, Inc. - The Harry Chapin Food Bank is Long Island's first food bank, serving the hungry on Long Island since 1980. Long Island Cares brings together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry on Long Island and provides emergency food where and when it is needed, and sponsors a wide variety of innovate direct service programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency. The organization was founded by the late singer, Grammy Award winning songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin in response to the growing issue of hunger on Long Island. It is continued today by his wife and partner Sandy Chapin, a dedicated Board of Directors and talented staff working out of their 35,000 square foot facility in Hauppauge and their storefront hunger assistance centers in Freeport, Huntington Station and Lindenhurst. Long Island Cares is a member agency of the Food Bank Association of New York State and Feeding America. Long Island Cares, Inc. is recognized by the NYS Department of Health and the USDA as the regional food bank for Long Island.
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Long Island Cares, Inc. - The Harry Chapin Food Bank
10 Davids Drive
Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 582-FOOD
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