2,500 Meals and $100K Collected During Veterans Day Food Drive

By the time the last donation was made on Saturday afternoon this November 11th, the annual Veterans Day Food Drive in Support of Operation: Hope had collected more than 2,500 holiday meals for Long Island veterans in need of food assistance.

In addition to the walk-up donations, New York Community Bank presented Island Harvest with a $100,000 check that will help sustain the Operation: Hope program well beyond the holiday season. Island Harvest is Long Island’s leading hunger-relief organization and the Operation: Hope program provides food and other resources to veterans and the families of active duty soldiers stationed overseas who need support.

Island Harvest staff, along with volunteers, many of whom are veterans, deliver food and supplies to the doors of Long Island veterans and their families two days a week throughout the year. Using volunteers who have served in the armed forces helps foster a better understanding and provides comfort for those receiving aid since the person coming to their home is someone who can personally relate to the experiences of those veterans who are struggling financially or otherwise.

During the last 18 months, Island Harvest served 1,314 veterans and their family members through the Operation: HOPE program by distributing “packs,” each containing a one-month's supply of food. This is in addition to providing nearly 60,000 meals and a total of more than 70,000 pounds of healthy food and non-food products.

“Those who have served our nation in combat often face exceptional obstacles readjusting to civilian life. These challenges may range from severe physical injuries to post-traumatic stress disorder, health issues or even to finding employment. Families of those serving, as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice, often have difficulties making ends meet. Some may bear the psychological scars of extended absences or the loss of a loved one. The objective of our Operation: Hope initiative is to help move veterans and their families from uncertainty to stability,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, President and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank.

Hosted by NYCB and the Island Harvest Food Bank, this year’s drive appropriately took place for the first time at NYCB LIVE, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

“It is a little known fact that Long Island has the second largest veteran population in the United States, with 14 percent of the residents of Nassau and Suffolk counties having served in the country’s military. NYCB believes we owe it to our home-town veterans to do all we can to help bring stability to the lives of those who served to protect us. Through Operation: Hope, we can help make a real difference,” said Kelly Leung, Senior Vice President, New York Community Bank.

Food and monetary donations to Operation: Hope will be accepted at all Roslyn Savings Bank branches during the month of November.