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Food delivery company looking for opportunities to connect

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The company’s founders, Scott Reich, left, and Michael Winik, hope to find more ways to partner with Valley Streamers who share their philosophy about food.
The company’s founders, Scott Reich, left, and Michael Winik, hope to find more ways to partner with Valley Streamers who share their philosophy about food.
Courtesy OurHarvest

The company that delivers fresh food to its customers in the parking lot of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament every week expanded its pickup hours recently, and is looking to expand its involvement in the Valley Stream community.

“The whole premise of our business is that we want to foster a sense of community,” said Scott Reich, co-founder of OurHarvest.

Reich and his partner, Michael Winik, started their company based on a philosophy that the food industry is unhealthy and unsustainable, and should be re-centered on sourcing of food from local suppliers who have been vetted for good practices.

Based in Hicksville, they brought their service to Valley Stream in March 2015. Customers order items on the company’s website and pick them up during set hours of operation on designated days in the church’s parking lot. OurHarvest expanded the pickup days from two to three, adding Mondays to its Wednesday and Saturday schedule to provide customers with more flexibility, Reich said.

Reich has also been busy making contacts in town that he can parlay into partnerships or other activities that benefit the company and local organizations. He spoke to the Valley Stream Sustainability Initiative in April about local sustainability efforts and the benefits of eating locally sourced, all-natural products. He met with the Valley Stream Council of PTAs in June to discuss a partnership in which the company might sponsor programming or make donations to different PTAs based on sales to its members. The idea will be revisited when school starts in the fall, Reich said.

He is also planning to give a talk at the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library about the benefits of healthy eating, with an emphasis on advising college-bound students about what to look out for to maintain a healthy lifestyle when they go to school. The talk was originally scheduled for July 25 but was cancelled because of low attendance. The library is working to re-schedule the presentation, Reich said.

He’s looking for more opportunities to be helpful. “It’s always good to pay it forward,” he said. “We try to help people who have like-minded missions.”