FA Secretary Cynthia Eaton, left, delivered the FA’s $500 gift cards donation to Denny Teason, second from left, for the Eastern food pantry. Also pictured are Jim Banks, Sara Lopez, Carolina Hernandez Alvarez, Kaylynn Cruceta Solis, FA member Courntney Desmond, Nohelia Sicajua Lopez and Brianna Calle Boror. (photo by Public Safety Officer Elizabeth Stichter)

Sometimes we get so caught up in the concerns and challenges of the college, we can forget about the concerns and challenges that face everyday working Long Islanders all around us—including, of course, students and their families.

Most of us in the FA, I think it’s fair to assume, are fortunate enough to not have to wonder where our next meal is coming from. The same cannot be said for a growing number of our fellow Suffolk County residents.

This hit me in an especially poignant manner last week while I was hosting pizza parties—on December 1 and December 2—as an extra incentive for students to complete the SUNY Campus Climate Survey. With the help of Denny Teason in Campus Activities and Greg Fabiszewski who helped me set up half a dozen Chromebooks, I met students at the entrance to Peconic 100 and told them, “If you can show me that you’ve completed the survey, you can help yourself to a slice!”

One student struggled to find the survey link in his email at first and seemed a bit agitated. I approached to offer to help, and he replied quietly, “Look, please help me search my inbox. I just really need to get a meal in me today.” We found the link, and he did the survey while eating, but rest assured I was going to let him eat regardless.

This is why the FA donates to each of the campus food pantries every November; specifically, this year, we donated $500 in gift cards to each pantry. These gift cards are aimed at helping students enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving meal with family, friends and loved ones, but for decades now the FA has contributed food and other support to our campus food pantries.

As cost of living rises, food insecurity rises

	FA Treasurer Pete DiGregorio, center, brought the FA’s $500 gift cards donation to the Grant food pantry. Also pictured are, from left, students Deanna Peterson and Ilsa Anatra, adjunct PA Joe Oliver (in hat) and student Cesar Majano. (photo by Lisa Hamilton)

A State Department of Health report released in early January indicated that as of 2021, 23.1% of Suffolk County residents said they were food insecure, based on a survey
conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Local experts indicate, however, that the numbers are likely higher “because even households with multiple jobs and incomes above the federal poverty level may struggle with the area’s high cost of living.”

A May 13, 2024, Newsday article explains

Many Long Islanders… earn salaries that could be sustainable in some other parts of the country. But on Long Island, with its high cost of living, they still have difficulty putting food on the table. And their salaries sometimes exceed the income limits to get SNAP food benefits. …Many who could previously afford to put food on the table have found themselves at food pantries and applying for SNAP benefits.

To live on Long Island, a family of four should have an income of roughly $100,000 for “basic necessities,” according to a 2022 report from the Suffolk County Legislature’s Welfare to Work Commission. Conversely, SNAP benefits are guided by thresholds that include an annual gross income limit of $45,000 in New York for a family of four, according to the state’s website.

That gap leaves the approximately 80,000 food-insecure Suffolk County residents having to dedicate their paychecks to the astronomically high costs of housing, taxes, utilities and transportation. What’s often left off the table, so to speak, is nutritious meals.

Long Island experts advocate for regionalization of those federal guidelines to account for the high cost of living here, but until that happens, people have to eat.

Forced into unhealthy decisions

	FA Executive Vice President Courtney Brewer drops off the FA’s $500 gift cards donation to Tom Law for the Ammerman food pantry. (photo by Tom Law)

Terri Brown is an FA member in the Dietetic Technician program at the Eastern Campus and cares deeply about students having their nutritional needs met. “The USDA defines food insecurity as the lack of consistent access to enough food to live an active, healthy life,” she explains.

“When people are struggling to put food on their table, nutrition usually isn’t their highest priority. They are looking to spread their dollar as far as it can go. Often this means cheaper food quality that is higher in fat and calories, which over time can lead to negative health consequences. Meal deals and prepared processed food meals are quick to grab, in between jobs, school and family obligations without thought given to nutrient composition. Unfortunately, they just need to satisfy their hunger the best they can.”

Fortunately, some help seems to be on its way. Three weeks ago, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine announced a $250,000 grant program in collaboration with Island Harvest called Nourish Suffolk County, which will buy fresh, locally grown produce from Suffolk County farmers for local food pantries.

As this and other contributions are needed across the county, we encourage FA members and other SCCC employees to consider donating food to our campus food pantries. It means a great deal to students and their families.

You know that old adage that without your health, you don’t have much—and we want our students to have every thing they need to have the best chances to succeed. This includes access to what they need for healthy, balanced and nutritious meals.