The Angels of Long Island closes free grocery store in Mastic

The Mastic Angels of Long Island thrift shop and food pantry has closed its doors after a long struggle to stay open.

“I should have waved the white flag months ago, but I knew how much people were dependent on us,” said Debbie Loesch, the Angels of Long Island’s founder. Loesch said she had not received any funding besides what the Mastic and Patchogue locations could generate and expressed frustration that the organization hasn’t received any government grants.

The Angels of Long Island is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by Loesch, with a stated mission of assisting and advocating for Long Islanders who are experiencing poverty or other financial crises. The Angels of Long Island originally started as a Facebook page that Loesch and her daughter, Brittany Loesch, created in 2015 to gather donations to help a local woman after they had heard she was struggling to provide for her daughter while battling cancer.

In the beginning, Loesch ran the organization out of her own home, but after her success with the Facebook group she expanded, establishing a thrift store in Patchogue in 2017 and then in June of 2023 founded the Mastic location. “There is a big problem here on Long Island with the high cost of living, and as a nonprofit I feel like we put a Band-Aid on things,” Loesch said.

The Mastic location consisted of two parts: a thrift store and a food pantry decorated like a grocery store. Loesch said they had treated it as a normal grocery store, just without the need to pay, complete with shopping carts and shelves of goods so that people getting the food would get a normal shopping experience “I’m all about if you’re going to do something, do it with dignity, and I gave them dignity.” The shop attempted to cater to all its customers’ needs, with the grocery section including everything from food and beverages to sanitary items and the thrift section, including clothing for men, women and children.

“I’m sad, it’s really a great store,” said Jone, a local who prefers to go by her first name only. Jone said the store had been very convenient since she lived close by and that she’ll be going to Angels of Long Island’s Patchogue location with the Mastic location gone.

“It seems like a good place for anyone in need of extra clothes,” said Sheena Theagene, a first-time shopper at the store.

“My goal is to continue to serve the community and to get out of debt,” Loesch said. With the store now closed, Loesch expressed her desire to refocus Angels of Long Island’s efforts onto the Patchogue location and hinted she had some plans in the works for how the group might expand its efforts in the future. 

Benjamin William Stephens is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism Working Newsroom program for students and local media.