Polar Bear Plunge Raises $15k for Food Pantry

On New Year's Day, people braved the chilly waters of the Atlantic Ocean for the annual at . The next day, the organizers tallied up the numbers to see how much the would benefit.

"We had 417 registered participants and raised approximately $15,000," said Vicki Littman, the food pantry secretary. She said she is also expecting some more donations to trickle in.

The food pantry serves over 400 families each week from locations in East Hampton and Amagansett.

East Hampton Town Supervisor Bill Wilkinson and Village Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr., who also took the dip, were on hand for the event, as was Town Councilman Dominick Stanzione, also food pantry volunteer, who helped emcee the festivities.