Air conditioning isn’t the only thing PSEG Long Island powered this summer, with the return of the company’s annual food collection drive, Power to Feed Long Island, completing its fifth year fueling Island Harvest Food Bank with thousands of meals.
The initiative completed its second-to-last collection at the Woodbury Stop & Shop on Friday, Sept. 5, garnering the equivalent of 3,000 meals to donate to the Island Harvest Food Bank.
“We’re just super grateful for the people of the Woodbury, Syosset area that really showed up. People came out with cartloads of supplies,” said Amy Di Leo, a spokesperson for PSEG.
Di Leo said that despite the company’s first time in Woodbury, it was the second-largest collection drive of the year so far. She said the drive garnered 1,800 pounds of food and $700 in cash.
Island Harvest President and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner said PSEG is a “valued partner with [the food bank] on the frontlines in [its] mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on 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, PSEG Long Island’s interim president and COO. “… 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.”
The Power to Feed Long Island initiative takes place on Fridays throughout Nassau and Suffolk, beginning June 13 in Massapequa and ending Sept. 19 in West Babylon. PSEG partners with Stop & Shop and holds the drive at the grocery store’s locations across the island.
“PSEG Long Island created these events so that we could help people donate within their communities, and Woodbury really stepped up and did that,” Di Leo said.
Syosset resident and PSEG Engineer Wayne Tsang volunteered at the Woodbury event and said he enjoyed contributing to the cause.
Tsang said that participating in PSEG volunteering programs has shown him how “strongly the Long Island community cares for one another.”
“Witnessing that connection firsthand reminds me of the importance of giving back. Volunteering not only helps others but also gives me a greater sense of purpose, gratitude, and belonging. I am glad to be part of something that makes a difference,” he said.
PSEG said that throughout the summer months, there is a reduction in donations to food banks, pantries and other programming. The annual initiative aims to combat that reduction by encouraging shoppers to donate non-perishable, household and personal care items.
“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.
