As Americans begin to break out their Thanksgiving cutlery, Long Island veterans are helping community food pantries stock up their shelves to make sure everyone, including the food insecure, has enough to break bread.  U.S Marines who served in Iraq and Afghanistan along with representatives of Stop and Shop and Island Harvest loaded 2,400 turkeys onto a delivery truck, earmarked for those in need.

“Although the need exists all year long, the holidays are particularly painful,” Jim Keenoy of Stop and Shop said.  Food insecurity impacts more than 300,000 Long Islanders each day, Island Harvest CEO and President, Randi Shubin Dresner says.

“You know if you are hungry during the holiday season, quite frankly, you are probably in need of food during July and May and other times of the year,” Dresner said. “Our food banks are helping people through our food donations but also other services that we provide because our issue is we want to help people from uncertainty to stability.  Which is why it is important for the community to continue collecting food for underserved neighbors as an annual tradition.

Island Harvest is always looking for members of the community to help them out. Do-gooders interested in volunteering can visit Islandharvest.org for more information.