Volunteers from National Grid, FeedingNY team up to pack 2,500 Thanksgiving meals for Long Islanders
More than 300,000 Long Islanders face food insecurity every day, according to data from Long Island Cares.
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Today, National Grid and FeedingNY are teaming up to pack Thanksgiving meal boxes for 2,500 Long Islanders ahead of the holiday later this week.
More than 170 people, including utility company employees, volunteers and students, are expected to take part for the second year in a row.
Large trucks will be delivering turkeys and fresh food, where the volunteers will pack individual family meals. National Grid donated 2,500 meal boxes that will be distributed to several non-profits and food pantries across Long Island in the coming days.
The effort is part of the FeedingNY program, which gives families the opportunity to host their own Thanksgiving meal, surrounded by people they love, no matter their life's circumstances.
Since its inception, FeedingNY has provided over 100,000 meals to New York families.
This year, 10,000 Thanksgiving meals will be provided to families living in shelters and facing food insecurities in our communities. Seeing this increased need, FeedingNY has been expanded to Long Island, with 2,500 meals being provided this year and 7,500 meals in New York City.
The event is one of many that have taken place and continue to happen in the run-up to Thanksgiving and comes at a critical time for addressing hunger.
The longest-ever federal government shutdown came to an end earlier this month, but millions are still feeling the effects today. Officials said it will take weeks for everything that was shuttered to get back to normal, including food benefits.
The shutdown disrupted SNAP benefits for roughly 180,000 Long Islanders, according to Island Harvest. More than 300,000 people on the island face food insecurity every single day, according to Long Island Cares.
The event is taking place at the National Grid headquarters at 25 Hub Dr. in Melville from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
