Acorn-y Idea: Shoreham Boy Makes Picnic Tables for Squirrels To Help Cheer Up Healthcare Heroes

Son of PSEG Long Island employee raises nearly $700 to buy meals for front line medical staff

(UNIONDALE, N.Y. – June 1, 2020) Yes, you read that right: There really are picnic tables for squirrels. Just ask Brayden Lewis, son of PSEG Long Island’s Meredith Lewis, both of Shoreham.

Brayden built and sold these pint-sized pieces of furniture, raising $700 to buy meals for the medical staff at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, where his aunt, Lisa Eppelsheimer, is a nurse treating COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit.

After finding inspiration on social media and with the help of his father, Brayden built 45 tables, mostly out of scrap wood, in his garage. His entire family helped deliver these miniature tables to family members and friends while demonstrating social distancing.

“I am so unbelievably proud of my son for this wonderful act of kindness,” said Lewis. “My wish is that it inspires others and they know to never doubt the impact they alone can make.”

Over the past two months, PSEG Long Island has been sending catered meals, snacks and sports drinks to hundreds of front line workers at local hospitals, nursing homes and healthcare facilities across Long Island and the Rockaways

Through the PSEG Foundation, PSEG Long Island was also able to provide more than $100,000 in pandemic-related grants. A $45,000 grant was given to Island Harvest Food Bank, and $25,000 grants each were given to the United Way of Long Island’s UNITED TOGETHER: A Response Fund for COVID-19 and the LI Health and Welfare Council - Long Island Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (LIVOAD) Coalition.

PSEG Long Island is committed to giving back to the people and communities it serves by actively supporting hundreds of local charity events each year through the company’s Community Partnership Program. With the pandemic and social distancing orders, hands-on community service has been put on hold. However, last year, PSEG Long Island employees logged an unprecedented 30,000 service hours at 1,045 fundraising and community events, supporting more than 500 organizations. For more information on how PSEG Long Island supports the communities it serves, visit https://www.psegliny.com/community.

Photo Caption: Brayden Lewis, of Shoreham, delivering meals to his aunt, Lisa Eppelsheimer, an intensive care unit nurse, and her colleagues working in the emergency room at St. Charles Hospital.

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PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company.