Coronavirus News: Long Island seniors continue to receive food donations while practicing social distancing

Friday, March 20, 2020
Coronavirus Long Island: Long Island seniors continue to receive food donations while practicing social distancing
Long Island Cares, Inc. continues to donate food to seniors while implementing safe food distribution measures.

EAST PATCHOGUE, New York (WABC) -- Supermarkets across the country have seen empty shelves and concerned customers. However, Long Island Cares, Inc. a non-profit food bank, continues to provide emergency food to people in need.

Long Island Cares, estimates that approximately 54,000 seniors living in Nassau and Suffolk Counties experience food insecurity and rely upon the emergency food network for ongoing support.

The S.O.S (Supporting Our Seniors) program has implemented even more food distribution safety measures to ease senior's anxiety when it comes to protecting themselves from exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

"As a result of the coronavirus pandemic we are employing social distancing at least six feet apart from one another," said Long Island Cares Inc, CEO, Paule Pachter. "They meet with our staff and we hand them the food bags, so they take that right back to their apartment. The seniors are very determined because they are in such great need to get their food."

The S.O.S program will continue to package and conduct food drop-offs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays every week as it has been doing since the beginning of the year when this program began.

"For anyone on Long Island in need of emergency food during this crisis, all they have to do is call us," said Pachter. "We will make every effort we can to bring the food to them that is our commitment to Long Islanders while we get through this together."

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