Freeport food pantry to serve its last meal
The Long Island Council of Churches Emergency Food Center in Freeport will be closing its doors for good.
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A Nassau County food pantry that has helped feed hundreds of thousands of residents will serve its last meal Wednesday.
The Long Island Council of Churches Emergency Food Center in Freeport will be closing its doors for good.
The agency says it has served its neighbors nearly 4 million meals between 2016 and 2026, with the largest surge in need just this past year.
Deacon Anthony Achong, director of Administration & Operations, tells News 12 their “numbers have grown month to month from 2025 to 2026 with the highest increase from March 2025 of 244 individuals in March 2026 to 1,244 individuals, a 500% increase.”
Achong says the primary reason why they're closing is because of a lack of funding.
"With prices going up, the food insecurity is going up on Long Island. We have a lot of our neighbors, as we refer to them, that need the assistance," Achong said. "Churches get smaller, donations get less, the board did make a hard decision."
The pantry supports everyone from residents to local businesses.
"They always have something to give you," Freeport resident Marie Ferere said. "It's not good for me. It's, I think for everybody, they're not going to be happy about it."
"We are feeding breakfast, a.m. snack, lunch, p.m. snacks as well and dinner," said Janna Rodriguez, founder and operator of the Innovate Daycare Corp. "It helped definitely offset my cost because I was spending over $2,500 a month on food."
The location is the only Long Island Council of Churches pantry.
