-Photo Credit: The Mermaid Project

When winter began this year, many Long Islanders were still struggling to make ends meet on account of the pandemic.

Many local workers from all industries experienced unprecedented circumstances that put themselves and their families in difficult positions.

Jerry Dicecco, owner and chef of Riverhead restaurant Jerry and the Mermaid, recognized this widespread struggle and decided he needed to do something to help. With the help of Branches Long Island, Dicecco launched The Mermaid Project on Jan. 1, 2021.

The Mermaid Project intended to tackle the prevalent issue of food insecurity experienced by Long Islanders in the hospitality industry-- such as restaurant workers, catering staff and hotel staff-- as a direct result of the pandemic. Its goal was to raise $100,000 to feed around 500 workers and their families.

Four months later, the Mermaid Project has concluded its efforts. It managed to raise about $75,000 and feed around 350 families. 

While Dicecco worked on collecting monetary donations and producing meals, Branches Long Island focused on finding hospitality workers in need. The efforts of The Mermaid Project allowed Dicecco to keep his kitchen workers employed full-time as well, as they helped to prepare food for those in need.

“We successfully fed hundreds of families. On our end, we were tasked with finding families to feed, so we had a very quick questionnaire for people to fill out to see if they fit the criteria,” said Samantha Morales, founder of Branches Long Island. “We set aside multiple Saturdays to distribute food.”

Alongside the efforts of Branches Long Island, Dicecco would often take it upon himself to find hospitality workers in need through struggling or closing places of business.

“I would contact business owners and kind of pledge to sponsor a business. I really wanted it to go toward hospitality workers because that’s my industry. I felt like we were unjustifiably penalized [during the pandemic] and that the workers within the industry could use some help,” he said. “I did a lot for frontline and hospital workers during the initial shutdown in 2020, so I wanted to change gears and do something different come the beginning of 2021.”

When hospitality candidates eventually started dwindling, Morales proposed the idea of allocating The Mermaid Project funds and resources to assist growing need among children in the Brentwood School District. 

“Teachers were reaching out to Branches and asking us for help. Our organization couldn’t keep up with the demand alone, we’re just a standard pantry so we don’t do any fresh-cooked items. Jerry was really awesome and provided probably over 100 meals that we delivered to the school district,” Morales said.

After officially concluding The Mermaid Project in late March, Dicecco is getting ready for the summer season at Jerry and the Mermaid. He is ready to get back into the swing of things with the restaurant after over a year of grappling with the pandemic himself. He says he would like to do something similar again next fall or winter, this time focusing on more than just hospitality workers.

“I definitely feel accomplished by what we did and it’s an initiative I’m proud of,” he said. 

Branches of Long Island will continue its daily work in community outreach and as a food pantry, providing necessities to families in need across the island.

To learn more about all those involved in this cause, visit The Mermaid Project website, the Branches of Long Island website, and the Jerry & the Mermaid website.