There was a show of gratitude Thursday to Island Harvest for providing lunches to students who may otherwise go hungry during the school year.

Brookhaven Elementary School student Amolik Barham and his family get food like applesauce, juice, milk and more as part of Island Harvest's Weekend Backpack Feeding program. It helps to supplement meals on the weekends for kids who rely on the school breakfast and lunch program during the week.

Amolik was one of the students at a special event Thursday to say thank you to Island Harvest and the teachers and staff at Brookhaven for making sure he and his family have plenty of nutritious food.

Dr. Rebecca Raymond, the school's principal, says giving kids and their families a food pack isn't just about feeding their bodies, it also helps to fuel their minds.

This year, because of a funding shortage, Island Harvest is only able to help 21 families at the school supplement their meals. Last year, they were able to help 50 families.

Despite the cuts, Island Harvest says it will continue to do what it can to lessen the impact of food insecurity for Long Island's children.

Island Harvest CEO Randi Shubin Dresner says this year, they were only able to provide 37,000 meals for students enrolled in the program. Last year, they provided 56,000.