While the surge of generosity that marks the holiday season fades once the decorations come down, the need facing food banks and families struggling to make ends meet continues year-round — a reality prompting renewed investment from organizations seeking to sustain that support well beyond winter.
Addressing that need, last month, PSEG Foundation, a nonprofit supported and funded by PSEG, announced $1.5 million in grants to more than 25 community organizations that provide critical assistance to households facing economic hardship, including a $100,000 award to Island Harvest, a longtime community partner of PSEG Long Island, a major electricity provider for the region.
The funding is part of the foundation’s Community Relief Initiative, a year-long effort designed to bolster food banks and social service organizations through a multifaceted approach. The initiative also reflects the foundation’s commitment to affordability and community well-being, while reinforcing the volunteer efforts of employees at PSEG Long Island.
Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading hunger-relief organization with a mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island. The organization boasts food and product collection and distribution systems, hunger awareness and education programs, a Workforce Skills Development Institute, as well as targeted services for specific populations, outreach activities, and advocacy initiatives. Its work supports a wide network of community-based nonprofits, as well as individuals, families, and seniors in need.
At an event in 2024 in Nassau County’s headquarters in Mineola, Randi Shubin Dresner, the president and chief executive of Island Harvest, and a former East Meadow Herald Person of the Year, explained that even though Nassau County has some of the wealthiest residents living within its zip codes, Island Harvest helps more than 100,000 neighbors in need. Annual distribution efforts have topped 10 million pounds in Nassau County.
Many neighbors in need who receive food from Island Harvest are working, sometimes multiple jobs, to make ends need.
“We’re on the side of action,” Shubin Dresner said of Island Harvest’s efforts. “We are providing support, and importantly, we’re providing 10 million pounds of food so we can be sure that our neighbors don’t have to worry about where their next meal comes from.”
David Lyons, interim president and chief operating officer at PSEG Long Island said the company has long partnered with Island Harvest to collect, sort and distribute meals to Long Islanders facing food insecurity.
“We have seen first-hand the good work Island Harvest has done, and we are thrilled that the PSEG Foundation is ensuring that even more good can be done through this $100,000 grant,” he said in a December release.
Calvin Ledford Jr., president of the PSEG Foundation, said its work extends beyond providing clean and reliable energy to Long Islanders.
“During times of economic challenges and hardship, these collaborations allow us to deliver meaningful solutions that directly benefit families,” he said. “We are deeply grateful for each of our partners and for the impact these initiatives will have in helping local communities access the critical resources needed to stay safe, healthy, and secure.”
“On behalf of the 240,000 people we serve who face food insecurity and uncertainty of when their next meal will come, we are incredibly grateful to direct the PSEG Foundation grant to our Hunger Relief Action Fund,” Shubin Dresner said. “The strong, long-term partnership we have with PSEG Long Island and the PSEG Foundation continues to make a positive impact on the lives of Long Islanders.”
