『Educators and nonprofit leaders work to ensure students are fed』のカバーアート

Educators and nonprofit leaders work to ensure students are fed

Educators and nonprofit leaders work to ensure students are fed

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 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).Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that 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 Nassau and Suffolk counties 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 New York 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.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.***Early voting is over.Election Day 2026 is Tuesday, Nov. 3…that’s tomorrow!Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.Vote at your assigned polling place tomorrow. (Find your polling place here https://suffolkcountyny.gov/voterinformation.East end voters will be voting for town supervisors, a representative in Congress, state lawmakers, statewide officials and Suffolk County officials tomorrow.Meanwhile, Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the election system in the United States might just prove to be truly resilient after the polls close on Tuesday, two election experts agreed at a recent League of Women Voters forum.In the Sept. 30 virtual forum, “Voting Rights and the 2026 Midterms: Election Challenges, Threats and Integrity,” two prominent election law experts—David Becker and Jerry Goldfeder — both seemed optimistic about the American election process, which is overseen by individual states and run by local boards of election in what they believe will prove to be a resilient system. Mr. Becker is the founder and executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, based in Washington D.C., and Mr. Goldfeder is the director of the Voting Rights and Democracy Project at Fordham Law School.Mr. Becker said his optimism stems from the fact that courts have already blocked nearly all of the 30 cases the administration has filed challenging the election process.Since federal law bans massive changes to the voting process within 90 days of an election, Mr. Goldfeder added, it will be unlikely that any major legal challenge to the election process will emerge in this “quiet period.”Mr. Goldfeder was slightly more cautious.“Our insititutions are strong, and the reason they’re strong is because Americans are resilient,” he said. “The folks in Suffolk County can rest assured they have a Board of Elections that knows what its doing and has done it well for many years. They’re very professional. But nationwide, there will be problems throughout various polling places… If there’s a huge turnout and the margins are comfortable, there’s very little those who want to challenge elections can do. They can go to court, but they will fail.”***The East Hampton Healthcare Foundation will host a free community health fair this coming Friday, November 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 18 James Lane in East Hampton.Services will include flu shots, glucose and blood pressure screenings and ...
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