The third annual Polar Bear Plunge at Veterans Beach on Peconic Bay in Mattituck is expected to draw a few hundred participants on Sunday, Jan. 26, to brave the cold in support of two community groups.
Registration for the event begins at 8:30 a.m. with the plunge scheduled for 10 a.m. Those who are interested can still sign up to support the Center for Advocacy, Support & Transformation (CAST), which provides services for low-income residents, and the Back to the Bays initiative, which supports marine conservation.
Registration fees range from $25 to $125, and registrants will receive branded merchandise from event sponsors.
“It has a wonderful sense of camaraderie, so it’s a highlight of winter,” CAST Interim Executive Director Erica Steindl said in an interview with South Shore Press. Steindl said that with the weather being as cold as it is currently, participants can expect to get a "true polar bear experience."
Along with the 200 to 300 people expected to take the plunge, the beach will be filled with supporters cheering them on, creating what Steindl described as a real “sense of community.”
“People come out, and they’re there to support the cause as well as have a great time and see their neighbors do something they wouldn’t normally do in the winter,” she said.
The Islander Food Truck will serve breakfast and hot beverages, and there will be merchandise for sale and warming stations donated by Cifarelli’s Nursery in Southold.
According to Steindl, the event made its debut in 2023 when the North Fork Polar Bears invited CAST to participate in its fundraiser. CAST is based in Southold and supports communities from Laurel to Orient and Shelter Island.
Founded in 1965, CAST began as a small food pantry with a few educational programs in Greenport and has since grown exponentially. Today, the organization serves upwards of 400,000 meals annually, a significant increase from approximately 40,000 before COVID, Steindl said.
“We have a client-choice food pantry where people shop for themselves, and we have a high focus on nutrition,” she said, noting that CAST works with local farms to provide fresh produce.
Other programs include a sharing room with clothing for job interviews and everyday wear, staff members who facilitate public access to social programs, and educational offerings for children ages 2 and up, Steindl added.
To break the cycle of poverty, CAST also offers career advancement programs, such as culinary classes, which will receive financial support from the polar plunge.
While the event supports all of CAST's programs, a special focus is on the North Fork Culinary Program, which teaches youths and adults the skills necessary to earn higher incomes in the field.
The plunge also benefits the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program’s Back to the Bays initiative, which works with local communities to improve water quality, marine habitat, and shellfish populations. This year’s plunge will especially support a new Back to the Bays Stewardship site aimed at improving water quality.
Those interested can sign up on the day of the event. For further details, visit castnorthfork.org.