PSEG Long Island and Island Harvest Food Bank stopped in Carle Place Friday, Aug. 8, to continue its “Power to Feed Long Island” food collection event that has been traveling the region throughout the summer.
Food collection bins were set up at the Stop & Shop supermarket located at 95 Old Country Road, where members of the public donated nonperishable food, personal care items and household essentials for community members facing food insecurity.
PSEG collected 1,597 pounds of food throughout the day. Volunteers were in the area from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We always do really well with this location, and we’re grateful to Carle Place and surrounding communities for coming out and supporting us,” Christine Grolli, a manager of the community partnership program for PSEG Long Island, said.
Items collected are distributed to families through local soup kitchens, nourishment centers, food pantries and other outreach programs in the neighborhood.
PSEG did not have the final tally for cash collected from Friday’s event, but Grolli said that each dollar raised roughly equates to two meals being provided to the community.
Mark Gross, a manager of the community partnership program for PSEG Long Island, said the collection also allows PSEG employees to connect with local customers. He said people who donate receive LED light bulbs for their home, which help save energy, as well as reusable bags.
PSEG and Island Harvest started the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. They found there was a specific need for donations in the summer as kids were no longer provided with meals through schools.
“This is a way that we’re able to help supplement the food bank, and so that they can meet the growing demand of the people in need on Long Island,” Grolli said.
Several other collection events have already taken place this summer, including in Massapequa, Levittown, Miller Place and Northport.
Grolli said the first event went to expectation, but that donations had been coming in a bit slowly since then.
“It’s to be expected with the economy the way it is,” she said.
Gross said they had collected over 14,000 meals throughout the summer before the event in Carle Place.
Grolli said that Stop & Shop has been partnering with the food drive for years and that PSEG had tested out holding their collections at other stores, but the grocery chain was the most cooperative and supportive of the effort.
Future summer collections will take place in Oceanside, Woodbury and West Babylon.
For more information on upcoming events, learning what to donate, or making an online monetary donation, visit psegliny.com/feedLI.
