Long Island is a great place to live. It is an island filled with natural wonders. Its seashore and forests are readily available. The weather is moderate most of the year. Many people make a good living on Long Island, whether working for a company on the island or in New York City or running their own business. But it is an expensive place to live- the cost of housing, food, utilities, and transportation is high. Like most of the country, the disparity between the very wealthy and the poor is widening, and it is harder to stay in the middle class. It is easy for a family on Long Island with a lost job or high medical expenses to slip into the ranks of the needy. Children are caught in the middle of this experience, with over 60,000 children in Nassau and Suffolk Counties living in food-insecure homes. Many organizations are working to ameliorate the plight of these children, but it seems their ranks are growing despite all the efforts of caring people. As a fundraising coordinator of Blessings in a Backpack Across Long Island, this is the world I live in, and I try every day to provide nutrition to children who need it.
I hope you will be educated about this blemish on our society and decide to take action to help. Volunteers and financial support are needed to help children living in food-insecure homes lift themselves out of poverty.
John Ammirati email me at blessingsacrossli@gmail.com.