Child food insecurity is up 20% on Long Island. How schools, nonprofits are ensuring kids are fed.

As students walked through the front doors of J. Finley Taylor Middle School in Huntington on a recent brisk morning, some shyly walked over to a yellow cart and grabbed a clear bag filled with breakfast items. A few chose honey buns and apple juice, while others grabbed mini waffles or fruit.

Huntington school officials expanded their "grab-and-go" breakfast program this fall after noticing some students weren’t taking advantage of the morning meals offered by the district due to time constraints, bashfulness or other reasons. Rather than go to the cafeteria to eat, students can instead take food from two carts as they head to their first class.

"We like to see those kids eating, having breakfast, having energy and starting the day off," Principal Traci Roethel said. "This is a chance for them to get something healthy."

Educators and nonprofit leaders on Long Island are working hard to ensure students are fed, amid an increased demand due to soaring grocery prices and tightened eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Approximately 53,000 children on Long Island are currently facing food insecurity — a 20% increase from last year, according to Island Harvest Food Bank.

Gregory May, Island Harvest's director of government and community relations, said the nonprofit saw about 14,000 new visits to its member agencies, including food pantries and soup kitchens, across the Island in June. The prior month, it saw about 10,000 new visits, while earlier in the year it averaged about 6,000 new visits.

One factor is a decline in SNAP participation. Between July 2025 and July 2026, participation in New York dropped by more than 270,000 recipients since eligibility was tightened under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to a state comptroller report that cited data from the state's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

The federal changes included restrictions for certain legal immigrants and an expansion of work requirements.

"So between the increased cost — obviously Islandwide, nationwide — [and] the limiting of access to SNAP, all contribute to the increased need we’re seeing on Long Island," said May.

Ensuring that students are fed is crucial for their academic success, said Rachel Sabella, director of No Kid Hungry New York, a national organization working to end childhood hunger and poverty.

"We know that when children have regular access to meals, they do better in school. They have higher attendance rates. They deal with less chronic health issues," she said.

With grocery prices so high, families sometimes must choose between paying the bills or buying food, she said.

"For many families to be able to provide three nutritious meals a day is hard on their budgets, especially now as Long Islanders face an affordability crisis," Sabella said.

Filling the gaps

National SNAP rollbacks are threatening school food programs across the country because funding is tied to the number of kids in SNAP and Medicaid, according to reports.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is running for reelection, said in a recently issued news release that the state will continue to fund its universal free lunch program despite the federal cuts. State officials secured $395 million in next year’s budget for universal meals.

The state program helps serve about 2.5 million free school meals daily, which are said to save families about $1,600 per child annually, according to the governor’s office.

While the program covers meals during school hours, advocates are working to fill the gaps for when students are not in class.

In Levittown, Wisdom Lane Middle School Principal John Avena said the school’s pantry, which is open one night a week, has about six to 10 families that frequent it weekly.

Avena said the pantry has seen a rise in demand in the past two years, and he’s expecting it to pick up again during the cold months.

In addition to food items, Avena said families often look for hygiene products like deodorant, toothpaste and laundry detergent, as well as toilet paper and paper towels — "items that are more expensive at the stores these days," he noted.

The district is currently in the midst of a Fill the Shelf Challenge, which brings every school and the Levittown Memorial Education Center together "to support the Wisdom Lane Food Pantry and local families."

Wisdom Lane kick-started the challenge by collecting 200 rolls of toilet paper and then nominated MacArthur High School to collect 200 rolls of paper towels. Each school will collect a needed item and nominate another school to keep the giving going, he said.

Avena said it is difficult to put into words the impact the pantry has on families.

"Some come in quietly and just use it and leave, but they say thank you and are so appreciative," he said.

'Super beneficial to our children'

Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit that provides food for kids during the weekends, is serving more than 1,500 Long Island children this year, including more than 400 students in the Sachem school district.

"With the cost of food going up, there’s more of a need for it as well," said Sachem schools Superintendent Patti Trombetta. "We have 15 buildings and within the 15 buildings, there’s a need in all of them."

Trombetta said the district also offers a student-run food pantry for families.

John Ammirati, fundraising coordinator for Blessings in a Backpack, said the organization works with school districts, Head Start programs and youth organizations across the Island.

The group recently hosted its second annual Race to Feed at Sachem High School East in Farmingville. Fifteen volunteer teams from companies across Long Island and the country raised $25,000 for the organization, while packing about 4,500 bags of food items such as Cheerios, canned soup and beef jerky.

But Ammirati said it’s been difficult to keep up with the growing demand. The group would like to expand, but he said when they "promise" students meals, "we never want to go back on that."

"So we’re being cautious," he said, noting a need for more fundraisers and eventually a managing director when they reach 2,500 kids.

Island Harvest also runs summer and weekend food programs to help students who might be facing food insecurity at home.

Karina Hayes, supervisor of veterans’ and children’s programs at Island Harvest, said in 2025 the nonprofit’s weekend backpack program served about 3,100 kids. This year, the organization is serving 3,450 students at 67 sites across the Island — an 11% increase from the prior year.

The weekend program includes two breakfasts, two lunches and a family-size meal. Hayes said there are special criteria these programs must abide by. The meals must include vegetables, protein and other items to make sure the students are receiving "nutritional benefits," she said.

Island Harvest's summer meals programs also saw a large increase in demand this year, she noted. This summer the program served more than 65,000 meals at 37 sites — a 37% increase from the prior year. It served 2,404 children, a 64% increase from last year.

"As soon as I clear a waitlist, we get another one instituted almost immediately," she said. "There’s a pretty high demand for this program and it’s super beneficial to our children."