Seaford Restaurant Cancels Long-Running Thanksgiving Food Drive

SEAFORD, NY — A Seaford restaurant that has held an annual Thanksgiving food drive every year since 1984 canceled the effort citing safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Each year, Runyon's Restaurant on Merrick Road, near Smith Lane, holds its Thanks-4-Giving Outreach effort to provide restaurant quality, home-style Thanksgiving meals to people and families in need. Recipients include people who are sick, elderly, home-bound or are otherwise challenged. The restaurant said it seeks to "feed those that might instead go without."

In 2018, the restaurant gathered donations and delivered 1,990 meals. It aimed to deliver 2,000 last year. Food items included pre-cooked pies, such as pumpkin, pecan and apple, as well as dinner rolls, cookies, birds and breasts, hams, canned yams, cranberry sauce and mixed veggies. The restaurant also gathers common ingredients like unsalted butter and heavy cream. Volunteers then carve turkeys, scoop side dishes and package and deliver the meals.

But this year, the restaurant said in a Facebook post it won't hold the food drive.

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we must let you all know that we feel we cannot safely hold our annual Thanks-4-Giving Outreach," Runyon's said Tuesday.

However, it is working on setting up a different "food drive/collection." Further details about that effort weren't immediately released.

"We thank you all for your support throughout the years and hope that you still find a way to make a positive difference," Runyon's said.

Patch has reached out to the restaurant for comment and more details and will update if we hear back.

Members of the community thanked the restaurant for its years of community service and expressed grief over the announcement.

In a Facebook comment, one woman who described herself as a volunteer for the effort wrote "Rats rats rats!!!"

"A tradition, a helpful hand to the neighborhood, so many volunteers, so much food to help feed people," she said. "My heart breaks for all those who can not receive a thanksgiving meal. For all the volunteers that gladly give up their time n energy, the coordinators, the chefs, cooks, clean up crew. All the children that decorated bags. DANG!!! Lots of people are going to suffer this Thanksgiving!"

A second commenter called it a "shame" and said the drive had become a Thanksgiving tradition for him and his son.

"We look forward to getting through this mess and continue to help again in 2021," he said.

A third commenter called the news "sad."

"I was just talking to my husband about this last night," she wrote. "I wondered what we’re gonna do we usually make donations to you every year. We will wait to hear what you are collecting and of course will help as best we can. Thank you for all you’ve done over the years."