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Island Harvest head joins NYS hunger council

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East Meadow resident Randi Shubin Dresner, the president and chief executive officer of Island Harvest Food Bank for over 15 years, was recently appointed to the New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy.

With the recommendation of State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed Shubin Dresner to the council, which focuses on battling hunger across New York state.

“I was thrilled when I heard about it,” Shubin Dresner said. “[Flanagan] is a good friend of Island Harvest. He’s someone I’ve known for a long time through the work that we do, and I’m honored he believed in our work enough to recommend Island Harvest to the governor.”

In a statement, Flanagan said that Shubin Dresner has been instrumental in helping countless families. “She has been a consistent leader in the fight against hunger, and Governor Cuomo’s appointment will enable her to use her abilities to assist even more of those who are in need,” Flanagan said. “Randi’s experience and passion will benefit our entire state, and I look forward to continuing to work with her to help all New Yorkers.”

The newly founded Council on Hunger and Food Policy, established by Cuomo, will advise the state on programs that will increase access to healthy food across hunger-stricken areas of New York. The council, which held its first meeting in October, is set to continue the work of the New York State Council on Food Policy, which was formed in 2007, and the 3-year-old Anti-Hunger Task Force.

With more than 40 years of experience in the nonprofit world, Shubin Dresner said she is especially excited about continuing to advocate for communities on Long Island whose residents are in need of healthy meals. “My goal through this council is to serve as a liaison between all of the people in need across Long Island and the agencies we hope to support,” she said. “Additionally, I sit on two other food councils, so I hope I can serve as a liaison between those two councils and the New York state council so I can bring ideas back to Long Island to better serve our communities.”

Before focusing on hunger, Shubin Dresner worked at various nonprofit organizations, including the Heckscher Museum of Art, the Viscardi Center and the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at LIU Post and Molloy College since 1990. She was awarded an honorary law degree by St. Joseph’s College and is a member of the Enegeia Partnership at Molloy.

Since 2001, Shubin Dresner’s fight against hunger across Long Island has landed her on two councils: the Suffolk County Food Policy Council and the Long Island Business Food Policy Council. She has been named Outstanding CEO by Long Island Business News, and listed among Long Island’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business. State Sen. Kemp Hannon awarded her the 2013 New York State Woman of the Distinction Award, and Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt honored her with the 2010 New York State Assembly’s Woman of Distinction Award.

Her most recent appointment was not the first time Cuomo has named her to a council. In 2013 he appointed her to serve on the Farmingdale State College Council, and she later delivered a commencement address to a graduating class.
Shubin Dresner said she plans to make the most of her time on the Council on Hunger and Food Policy. “Hunger isn’t something that will just go away,” she said. “It’s a terrible issue that affects so many people on Long Island, and there are no easy solutions to ending hunger. But I certainly know that with partnerships across the state, we can have an enormous impact.”

Island Harvest Food Bank has more than 150 events planned, with many more to come, she said. “With the holiday season approaching, we’re planning a lot of food drives within local communities, and many events to raise funds for those in need,” Shubin Dresner said. “It’s important to continue raising awareness to end hunger for years to come.”

For more information on upcoming events and to locate a food and service station in your area, log on to www.IslandHarvest.org