Shinnecock Nation Launches Official Food Pantry During Pandemic

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — The Shinnecock Nation received a grant that facilitated the creation of its first official food pantry.

According to All For The East End, the not-for-profit organization that afforded the grant of nearly $7,000, the Shinnecock Nation has been "hit hard" by the coronavirus pandemic with the dire need for food continuing to intensify.

However, the reservation's community center had been equipped with just household-sized appliances, with very little storage space, AFTEE said. Expanded capacity was needed to store food deliveries.

In addition, in order to qualify as an official food pantry and benefit from the cost savings of bulk buying as members of Island Harvest and Long Island Cares, enhanced refrigeration was critical, AFTEE said. In order to be approved by one of the major food banks, a certain level of refrigeration is required, AFTEE added.

The grant was used to purchase refrigeration and freezers; board members assisted in both purchasing the commercial-grade appliances and supervising installation.

“We were pleased to support the Shinnecock Nation,” said AFTEE Board President Claudia Pilato. "AFTEE’s ongoing outreach and dialogue with food pantries across the East End allows us to uncover urgent issues that we can help address.”

During the summer, AFTEE board members, with financial support from the Bridgehampton Lions Club, also installed refrigeration and freezer units at the Bridgehampton Community Center. Those units are being used by three local pantries, AFTEE said.

Since the pandemic first hit the East End, AFTEE has raised over $1.3 million and provided more than 60 grants to East End food pantries and other organizations addressing food instability and other social needs.

AFTEE's community advisory committee includes both community and business leaders, with stakeholders from local pantries.

“We believe in working together to address common issues,” Pilato said. "That is the way we can have the most impact. Fundraising is still critical and our primary focus is on refilling the AFTEE fund so that we can meet the needs of our local organizations who are working so hard every day to make a difference to our friends and neighbors, who are so vulnerable.”