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Randi Shubin Dresner

Photo from PSEG-LI

PSEG Long Island has announced details of its fifth annual Power to Feed Long Island food drive initiative and invites Long Islanders to make a donation to support their neighbors. Beginning June 13 in Massapequa, PSEG Long Island will set up collection bins at eight different Stop & Shop supermarkets on eight different Fridays through the summer. The annual collection campaign supports Island Harvest Food Bank’s mission to feed neighbors facing food insecurity.

Hundreds of thousands of Long Island families struggle with hunger and food insecurity throughout the year. During the summer months, there is a significant reduction in food donations to local food banks, pantries and other programs. Compounding the issue, children are not in school where they can receive free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch.

Enter PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island. Between June 13 and the end of September, PSEG Long Island will set up collection boxes at eight Stop & Shop supermarket locations across Long Island (schedule is below) where community members can donate nonperishable food and essential personal care needs. The items collected at these drives will be distributed to families through local soup kitchens, nourishment centers, food pantries and other outreach programs in the neighborhood.

Over the past four years, Long Islanders have supported PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island events by donating the equivalent of 130,000 meals to help people in their communities struggling to feed their families.

“As we celebrate the fifth year of PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island, we thank the generous Long Islanders who have opened their hearts and wallets to help their neighbors in need each year,” said David Lyons, interim president and COO, PSEG Long Island. “There is hunger in every ZIP code on Long Island, and PSEG Long Island is energized to partner with Island Harvest and Stop & Shop once again to help families in our communities who need it, especially during the difficult summer months.”

“PSEG Long Island has long been a valued partner with us on the frontlines in our mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. “The generous support from PSEG Long Island, Stop & Shop, and their customers is not just a lifeline, but a beacon of hope for our neighbors who may be a paycheck away from not being able to provide for themselves and their families a basic human right, like food.”

“As a leading grocery retailer on Long Island, we understand the critical role we play in fighting hunger in our communities,” said Daniel Wolk, external communications manager at Stop & Shop. “We are proud to once again welcome PSEG Long Island and Island Harvest to our stores this summer for the Power to Feed Long Island food drive. With food banks facing increasing demand, we are deeply committed to supporting Island Harvest’s mission to end hunger across Nassau and Suffolk counties.”

As a thank you to customers who make onsite donations, PSEG Long Island volunteers will be providing contributors free LED lightbulbs and reusable shopping bags. Representatives from PSEG Long Island will be available at each location to provide information on financial programs and money-saving energy efficiency options. Island Harvest Food Bank personnel will be in attendance to share information on its hunger relief programs.

How to donate:

The schedule for PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island 2025 is as follow:

Friday, June 13 9 AM – 4 PM Stop & Shop

702 Hicksville Rd.

Massapequa

Friday, June 27 9 AM – 3 PM Stop & Shop

3126 Jericho Tpk.

East Northport

Friday, July 11 9 AM – 3 PM Stop & Shop

3750 Hempstead Tpk.

Levittown

Friday, July 25 9 AM – 3 PM Stop & Shop

385 Route 25A

Miller Place

Friday, Aug. 8 9 AM – 3 PM Stop & Shop

95 Old Country Rd.

Carle Place

Friday, Aug. 22 9 AM – 3 PM Stop & Shop

3577 Long Beach Rd. Oceanside

Friday, Sept. 5 9 AM – 3 PM Stop & Shop

8101 Jericho Tpk.

Woodbury

Friday, Sept. 19 9 AM – 4 PM Stop & Shop

365 Route 109

West Babylon

 

What to donate:

Island Harvest requests specific items, including:

  • Nonperishable food: Healthy varieties of canned foods, such as low-sodium beans, vegetables, soups, pasta sauces and tomato varieties, tuna and chicken, rice, pasta, nut butters, olive and canola oil, spices and pet food (no glass containers please).
  • Household essentials: Toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, laundry detergent and dish soap.
  • Personal care items: Toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soap, shampoo, conditioner, feminine care products and shaving products, antibacterial wipes and washcloths.
  • Baby care items: Diapers, wipes, formula, creams, ointments and baby wash.
  • Cash or online monetary donations: Island Harvest estimates each dollar donated provides roughly two meals.

For a full list of suggested donations, additional details about PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island, including a video of last year’s events, or to make an online donation, visit psegliny.com/feedLI.

 

Island Harvest Food Bank, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), and the United States Postal Service (USPS) are once again in a united front for the annual Stamp Out Hunger® food drive, the nation’s most extensive single-day food collection campaign on Saturday, May 10.

At a recent kickoff rally at Island Harvest’s Melville headquarters before a group of postal union workers, corporate sponsors, and food bank staff and supporters, Samantha Morales, founder of Branches Long Island, a Middle Island-based social services organization that helps people in need, relayed a story about a first-time client coming in for food assistance.

“A woman named Maria came in holding a baby in one arm and a grocery list in the other. Her husband had been laid off, and their savings were completely gone. She looked exhausted yet determined and said, ‘I never thought I’d need help like this, but my baby needs to eat.’” Ms. Morales said that because of food donations from efforts like Stamp Out Hunger, Maria wasn’t turned away in her time of need, and she was given fresh produce, canned goods, and formula for her baby. As Maria left, she hugged a volunteer, broke down and said, “You gave me a lifeline today.” In concluding her remarks, Ms. Morales stated, “Every can, every box and every bag collected during this campaign helps real people right here on Long Island.”

According to Randi Shubin Dresner, president & CEO of Island Harvest, the need for food assistance on Long Island has never been greater.

“The need among Long Island families is alarming, making your contribution to Stamp Out Hunger more important than ever,” said Shubin Dresner. She highlights that the organization distributed a record 18.3 million pounds of food last year and is forecasted to distribute 20 million pounds this year.

“With increased costs at the grocery store, coupled with the region’s high cost of living and continued economic uncertainty, more Long Islanders urgently need supplemental food support. We are calling on the responsibility and generosity of all Long Islanders to donate what they can by leaving nonperishable food items in a bag next to your mailbox before the regularly scheduled mail delivery on Saturday, May 10 for your letter carrier to pick up and help ensure it gets onto the tables of our Long Island neighbors in need,” she added.

Nonperishable food includes canned goods, cereal, pasta, rice, boxed juices, and shelf-stable milk (no prepared food or food or juices in glass containers). In addition, personal care items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant, and disposable diapers are gratefully accepted. All donations collected will help replenish Island Harvest’s network of community-based food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency feeding programs in communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

“Every donation, no matter the size, will help countless Long Islanders who may be struggling to put food on their tables — even a can of soup can be a much-needed meal for people who are hungry,” added Ms. Shubin Dresner, “We’ve always been touched by the generosity of Long Islanders to help their neighbors in need, and we are confident that they will once again step up and support this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive.”

“The National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 6000 and the United States Postal Service are excited to partner with Island Harvest again this year for your 33rd annual Stamp Out Hunger food collection,” said Tom Siesto, Executive Vice President of NALC Branch 6000. “The members of Branch 6000 and the employees of the United States Postal Service often see firsthand the widespread issue of food insecurity on Long Island and are thrilled to take part in this very important campaign and give back to the local communities they serve.”

Since its inception in 1993, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, held on the second Saturday in May, has collected approximately 1.9 billion pounds of food for those in need across the United States. Input from food banks and pantries suggested that late spring would be the best time because most food banks start running out of the donations received during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays by that point in the year, according to the NALC.

Last year, generous Long Islanders donated 382,175 pounds of food, supplementing 577,000 meals. Island Harvest hopes to exceed 500,000 pounds of food during this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food collection campaign.

This year’s Stamp Out Hunger collection campaign on Long Island is generously supported by presenting sponsor National Grid (lead sponsor), JPMorganChase, Dime Community Bank, FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, IPRO Healthcare, Leviton, M&T Bank, Nonna’s Garden, Petro Home Services, and Stop & Shop.

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty team members from the Syosset office proudly display some of their donations at the Island Harvest headquarters in Melville. 

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty (DGSIR) recently wrapped up a month-long fundraiser to collect food and funds for Island Harvest Food Bank and City Harvest, two of the region’s largest hunger relief organizations. This companywide effort brought in a scale-busting 11,778 pounds of food.  

Organized by The Daniel Gale Foundation, the competition was as friendly as it was fierce, demonstrated by the line of cars, SUVs, and vans loaded with food, each making a special delivery to Island Harvest’s Melville headquarters. Every office’s haul of non-perishable food was weighed separately to determine which office earned bragging rights for bringing in the heaviest load this year. 

“This companywide effort is one of our favorite and most heartfelt major fundraisers of the year,” explained Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty CEO Deirdre O’Connell. “As a group we feel that it is our responsibility and privilege to fill the shelves at the Island Harvest and City Harvest food banks by collecting food during September’s Hunger Action Month. Every year at this time, we come together as a force in support of our less fortunate neighbors across Long Island, from Brooklyn and Queens to the Twin Forks.”

Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, expressed the continuing need for hunger relief organizations and the tremendous impact donations and volunteer efforts have on families experiencing food insecurity. “While Long Island is home to some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the nation, one in ten Long Island families experience food insecurity at times. This includes some of our most vulnerable neighbors; from newborns to seniors, veterans and working families. As a community we share a responsibility to make sure that none of our neighbors go without food.”

“New York City continues to face a profound hunger crisis—particularly in the marginalized communities with one in four children experiencing food insecurity,” said Jilly Stephens, City Harvest Chief Executive Officer. “Those numbers surged during the pandemic and remain at historic highs with nearly 1.5 million New Yorkers, including more than 462,000 children, in need of assistance.” 

“For more than a century, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty has prioritized a commitment to community service,” concluded O’Connell. “In 2022 we established The Daniel Gale Foundation as a way to wholly support many not-for-profit organizations on Long Island that provide critical services to our neighbors in need. Giving is a 365-day a year activity for us.”

Following the food drive, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty again banded together for its annual bowl-a-thon fundraiser. This time, 165 bowlers across 4 different bowling alleys raised $19,000 to benefit the Daniel Gale Foundation.  

Donations to Island Harvest and City Harvest can be made online at Island Harvest donation  or

City Harvest donation. The Daniel Gale Foundation can be contacted here. 

 

Photo from Stop & Shop

Island Harvest Food Bank, a leading Long Island hunger-relief organization, received $96,500 from Stop & Shop’s Food for Friends campaign on June 24. According to Randi Shubin Dresner, president & CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank, funding received from the Food for Friends initiative will be used to hire a part-time, bi-lingual dietician to promote healthy eating habits among underserved populations in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Funding will also support Island Harvest Food Bank’s food collection and distribution programs.

Stop & Shop’s Food for Friends campaign raised more than $2 million for its 12 regional food bank partners, breaking all previous years’ donation records. Throughout May 2021, customers were able to give at checkout knowing that donation would stay local and fight hunger in their communities. 100% of the money raised went to Stop & Shop’s regional food banks in its service areas. Customers were also able to donate non-perishable food items at marked donation bins at each Stop & Shop store to benefit local hunger relief organizations, like Island Harvest.

“Stop & Shop is a longtime and valued partner in our mission to provide essential food assistance and promote positive health outcomes of the people we serve,” said Ms. Shubin Dresner. “We appreciate their ongoing support and generosity and thank their customers for their caring, too.”

“Stop & Shop’s Food for Friends campaign is symbolic of our relationship with Island Harvest,” said Stefanie Shuman, Community Relations Manager for Stop & Shop. “We couldn’t ask for a better friend and partner in the fight against hunger on Long Island.”