Abena Asare, an associate professor of modern African affairs and history at Stony Brook University, and Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island have started a petition for an emergency food aid hotline for Suffolk County.
While traditional food aid organizations have ramped up their efforts during Covid-19, OLA has found some homebound communities are still in urgent crisis and in need of rapid food help. The petition for the emergency food crisis hotline explains that Covid-19 creates particular difficulties for those with pre-existing vulnerabilities in social services, labor, and health systems.
OLA seeks to improve the community’s ability to meet the basic needs of those who are struggling. The hotline would take into consideration contributing circumstances such as health conditions, pregnancy, transportation, distance from supermarkets, and federal restrictions on using SNAP benefits for delivery costs and disability.
The petition by Ms. Asare and OLA notes that traditional food pantries, even with social distancing, may be inaccessible and a physical and mental strain to some residents with pre-existing conditions and who must remain at home.
Minerva Perez, executive director of OLA, said, “This is not ‘instead’ of the great work pantries and volunteers are doing. It is ‘in addition’ to all that work. The need is there. It will not go away for many many months to come. OLA is now helping 50-plus families — about 200-plus people. Many of them are homebound. At this moment, so many people are not knowing where to reach out and if they will get help.”
The petition is at change.org and can be found by typing “Suffolk County hotline” in the search bar. It details the plan, which calls upon the county to consider language options, storage, protective equipment, and confidentiality in creating a system that prioritizes the safety of volunteers and supports the relief of existing food pantries.
On Monday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said there were no plans as of yet to launch such a hotline, though on Tuesday he said a top priority for the county is “providing food assistance for those who need it.”
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