A national organization focused on wiping out childhood hunger is funding a campaign on Long Island.

Ever since the pandemic started, the number of Long Islanders seeking assistance has grown dramatically. Experts say one of the problems is identifying those who need help and encouraging them to seek help.

Rachel Sabella is head of the New York chapter of No Kid Hungry. The organization is funding a program to help pediatricians better identify food insecurity in kids and to encourage their families to seek help.

"It may not always show up when you look at a child, but when you ask those questions: 'Are you skipping meals? Do you run out of food at the end of the week?,' These are questions that pediatricians can ask," Sabella says. "For parents, a pediatrician is who they trust and if they're going to open up to somebody it's going to be that individual."

A nonprofit in Huntington Station called Helping Hands has been around for over 50 years and is also doing their part by providing food, clothing, household goods and diapers to those who need them.

"We love to be there for the families and the people like those young ladies that are struggling, just to know that there's help out there and hope out there," head of Helping Hands Kim Gambino says. "Life has hard seasons, but there are people to help you through those seasons and those seasons change."

Pediatricians told News 12 they support the campaign, saying that many families are reluctant to say they need help keeping food on the table.

They say this could give them another tool to get help to people in need.