Lunch Box Kids Gearing Up To Assist Food Insecure Families When School’s Out

More than 30 years ago, members of the Southampton community came together to found an organization to help those in need. A small food pantry and an emergency assistance outreach were initially launched with the efforts only growing from there until in 2003, Heart of the Hamptons (previously known as Human Resources of the Hamptons) was born. From the very beginning their mission was to help those in need in their community. Over the years, they developed a network of programs and dedicated volunteers to strengthen their outreach and effectiveness.

Heart of the Hamptons is a non-profit organization that has many great causes people can support to help feed, clothe, and shelter hundreds of local people in need. One of those programs is Lunch Box Kids, which focuses on making food readily available for school children by either making the meal free or, at the very least, reduced in cost. When school is not in session for the summer, the program feeds these children weekly by offering food supplies from their Food Pantry (graciously provided by the Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Roman Catholic Church).

“Around 800 children are enrolled in free or reduced cost lunches in Tuckahoe and Southampton school districts,” Hilton Crosby, Heart of the Hamptons Executive Director, shared. “Lunch Box Kids is a wonderful program run through our Food Pantry to ease the food budget for local families during the summer months with fresh produce and food.”

The Southampton Food Pantry provides high quality food and service to over 500 local families, many of whom depend on these programs to be provided healthy, nutritious food.

With hundreds of children relying on Heart of the Hamptons, Lunch Box Kids is a vital program that gives school children the opportunity to have something that so many of us take for granted: a healthy meal.

As summer nears, Heart of the Hamptons is hosting a Lunch Box Kids fundraising campaign to support the upcoming season, so have a heart for a great cause and help donate or volunteer if you can.

For more information about Heart of the Hamptons and their other great causes, please visit heartofthehamptons.org or, if you wish to donate to Lunch Box Kids, you can do that here.