The number of Long Islanders in need of food is increasing, according to a new report.

According to the Long Island Cares report, there was a 19 percent jump in the number of people who needed help with food last year in Suffolk and Nassau among children, adults and seniors.

The spike was surprising to the organization's CEO.

“We actually thought the economy had stabilized, and therefore, the number of people who were struggling with food insecurity on the Island would stabilize as well,” said Paule Pachter.

The Long Island Cares warehouse is stocked with almost 1 million pounds of food ready to be donated. The group says it's looking into expanding outreach programs to better serve Long Islanders in need.

According to the report, Long Island Cares staff provided a total of more than 272,000 meals through satellite locations last year. That's a 22 percent increase from the year before.