Food Pantry Warehouse
At Pronto Long Island, community members are able to request enough food for their household once per month. Pronto served almost 100,000 individuals in 2024 with staple foods including culturally and dietetically sensitive foods, and with consideration for allergies. This was an 18% increase from 2023.
With food donations from area partners, our clients also get fresh bread and baked goods, along with coffee/tea, meats, produce, and beverages, depending on daily availability.
Thrift Center
With one of the cleanest and organized Thrift Centers on Long Island, Pronto serves all ages and sizes from Monday to Saturday. Special "Garage Sales" and discount events happen throughout the year. Often many items still have the tags on them.
The heartwarming and essential component of the Thrift Center is that members of the community who have an urgent need, come into the main office, sit with our intake workers and provide information, then are given a voucher for free items. The public also can enjoy shopping at the Thrift Center, and all revenue goes back into funding Pronto's programs and services.
Workforce Wraparound Program
The Workforce Wraparound Program works to address the root of food insecurity of our clients by providing employment opportunities. these opportunities come in the form of resume help, employment trainings and certifications, job fairs, and job placement with our community partners. Suffolk County Department of Labor assists Pronto with job fairs and job placement and we are thankful for this long-term collaboration.
English Conversation Classes
Pronto hosts three free English Conversation classes each week for beginner speakers. These are open level classes with a warm and community ambiance. Students can practice their conversations together as they navigate the new language. Smart boards, worksheets, and live conversation all contribute to the students' growth and enjoyment of the topic.
Shots For Tots - Free Vaccines
Pronto has been lucky to partner with the Department of Health to host weekly free immunization clinics for children without insurance ages 0 to 18 years old. Every Wednesday, the conference room is open for parents to bring their children between 9am and 2pm.
Mental Health Referrals
For anyone needing support, or someone who can help them navigate the landscape of mental health conditions and trauma, Pronto hosts the Hispanic Counseling Center onsite for direct referrals, and we partner with others for referrals as well.
Health and Wellness Campaign
Pronto's Health and Wellness Campaign shares food demonstrations with the public, provides free health screenings with partners including Molloy University, NYIT, Stony Brook Medicine, Northwell Health, and Sun River, to name a few. We are moving towards a new "Food as Medicine" model in the new year, so stay tuned for excellent recipes, gardening, and opportunities to learn.
Summer Youth Wellness PRoGRAM and Community Garden
Pronto is home to an annual summer youth program where at least 60 kids get to have fun and engaging activities with free breakfast and lunch. The activities focus is on Sports, STEAM, computers, wellness, environmental studies, and cooking. There is an educational and team-building fun field trip at the end of every week.
Legal Help For Immigrants
Pronto's legal workshops assist our new neighbors with questions they may have to address citizenship, visas, asylum, healthcare benefits, and other topics. We usually hold the workshops every quarter and the participants are engaged and appreciative to have their urgent cases looked at by legal experts. Look on our Facebook pages for upcoming workshops. Partners include ONA, CARECEN, Make the Road NY, and Empire Justice Center. The New York Bar Foundation has assisted us in supporting our new neighbors with these workshops.
Baby Shower Events
Mothers need lots of items to prepare for baby, and these items most always are expensive for families starting out and who may be experiencing hardship. Pronto hosts baby showers about twice a year with games, prizes, and gifts for everyone including pack and play cribs, car seats, clothing, and much more!
Community Outreach
Many times per month, Pronto participates in community activities, promoting our services so the public will feel welcome in asking for help when they need urgent food, clothing, and services. Pronto usually sets up an informational table with flyers and will sometimes include a nutritional or healthy living demonstration, as well. Pronto hosts many events onsite as well including a Community Backpack Give-Away Day, Halloween, free health screenings (hearing, blood pressure, Diabetes, obesity, and more.)
Holiday Community Events
Every winter, Pronto reaches out to our clients to give a little holiday cheer by way of Thanksgiving meals for the families and Holiday gifts for the children. This year, Pronto served over 900 families a turkey dinner and over 1,200 children received presents at Christmas. Multiple volunteers assisted in the donations and distribution process. This year, the families were able to take free photos with Santa again and they made a special stocking craft with jingle bells. Our Adopt-a-Family Program was a successful endeavor this year, helping 16 families in need.