Long Islanders Come Out in Force to Support PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island Initiative

Summer food drive exceeds goal; collects nearly 22,000 meals for Island Harvest to support local families struggling with food insecurity

(UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Sept. 27, 2021) PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island initiative has exceeded its goal, raising the equivalent of 21,944 meals – nearly a thousand more meals than its 21,000-meal objective. Three months and six food drives yielded 10,106 pounds of food and supplies, plus nearly $2,200 in cash donations, and online donations totaling more than $4,000.

Today, along with representatives from Island Harvest Food Bank, small business owners, community volunteers and Girl Scouts who contributed to the initiative, the company announced the results of its Power to Feed Long Island initiative at the food bank’s Melville warehouse.

“We are proud that our community came out to support each other and fight hunger through our Power to Feed Long Island food drives,” said Daniel Eichhorn, president and COO of PSEG Long Island, and Island Harvest Food Bank board member. “We set a lofty goal in July, and Long Islanders showed up in force with shopping carts and trunks full of food and supplies to meet the challenge. We crushed our goal because helping each other is something Long Islanders do, and it’s something our employees do. We’re glad we were able to create the venue to make it happen.”

“We are incredibly grateful to PSEG Long Island for their longstanding commitment to addressing the issue of hunger and food insecurity on Long Island,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. “Thanks to their concern and generosity and the success of the Power to Feed Long Island initiative, countless Long Islanders struggling to feed their families will be able to rest easier knowing that they will have access to something as basic as food.”

Power to Feed Long Island was created to restock the shelves at Island Harvest to enable the nonprofit to provide community members in need with nutritious food, personal care items, baby essentials and pet supplies.

Food drive events were held at six supermarkets ─ King Kullen in Garden City Park/New Hyde Park and Shirley; Stew Leonard’s in East Meadow; and Stop & Shop in Huntington Station, Islandia and Massapequa ─ from July through September, when vacations cause a decrease in donations, and collection drives are not top of mind. It is also a time when children out of school are not receiving daily free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch, which puts a heavier burden on their families.

“Stop & Shop is proud to continue its committed support of the efforts of Island Harvest to address food insecurity across Nassau and Suffolk counties,” said Stefanie Shuman, community relations manager, Stop & Shop. “Power to Feed Long Island allowed our customers to take part in food drives held at Stop & Shop stores and help their neighbors in need. It’s important that we all come together during these very difficult times,” she added.

Along with the economic hardships caused by the pandemic, there is a significant strain on the supplemental food supply chain. The collection drives continued through September, Hunger Action Month.

More than a dozen PSEG Long Island employees participated in the food drives as Power to Feed Long Island ambassadors. They agree that safely getting back out into the community to help their neighbors was a rewarding experience.

For additional information on Power to Feed Long Island or to make a monetary donation, visit www.psegliny.com/feedLI. To view photos of the six food drives, today’s press event or the kickoff event in July, please visit our Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/psegli/albums.

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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.