LI's Largest Food Drive Collects 10,000 Turkeys and 25,000 Pounds of Food

John Mitty Thursday, November 29, 2012

Bethpage Turkey Drive Collects 10,000 Turkeys and More Than 25,000 Pounds of Food in Long Island’s Largest On-Site Food Drive

Hungry Long Islanders and Hurricane Sandy Victims to Benefit – Just in Time for the Holidays

Bethpage, NY – November 29, 2012 – In what has grown to become Long Island’s largest on-site food drive, the 4th Annual Bethpage Turkey Drive took place recently and attracted hundreds of supporters from across Long Island who donated 2,500 frozen turkeys and more than 25,000 pounds of shelf-stable food on-site – a new record amount of collected non-perishables.  An additional 7,500 turkeys were donated in the days immediately following, bringing the total amount of turkeys collected this year to 10,000.  Expanded this year to support Hurricane Sandy Victims, the Bethpage Turkey Drive collected frozen turkeys, cleaning supplies, diapers and shelf-stable non-perishable food for Island Harvest, Long Island’s largest hunger relief organization which has been extensively involved in supporting victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Hundreds of volunteers donated their time to help assist in the collection, helping to unload car deliveries, sort through groceries, and load donations onto Island Harvest’s refrigerated truck.  Volunteers included students from Hofstra University’s Women’s Golf Team and Men’s Lacrosse Team and various athletes from Stony Brook University.

Since 2009, hundreds of Long Island residents, businesses and volunteers have come out to assist in the Bethpage Turkey Drive, which after four years, now has cumulatively collected 20,000 turkeys and 35,000 pounds of food, which are then provided to Long Island’s families in need.  Highlights from this year’s effort include a large donation from Bethpage-based Goya Foods that supplied more than 8,000 pounds of food, and Centereach residents Jennifer and Mike Trombino, who donated 50 frozen turkeys worth $1,400.

“This year’s drive took on increased meaning as exemplified by our supporters and our committed  volunteers, many of whom themselves remain temporarily displaced from the storm, having suffered great damage to their own homes,” said Linda Armyn, Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Bethpage.  “We are thankful to have the means to support our fellow Long Islanders during this time of adversity, and want to thank again all of our partners including Cablevision, the NY Islanders and Connoisseur Media – for continuing to support this vital effort.”

Bethpage Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, existing solely to serve its members and has experienced rapid growth in recent years to become a strong alternative to banks.  Bethpage was approved for the largest federal community charter in the U.S. in 2003 and now is Long Island’s largest credit union and leading community financial institution with over 205,000 members, 26 branches and 60 shared service center locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. As a financial cooperative, Bethpage offers better rates, lower fees and a full menu of personal and commercial financial services.

Bethpage maintains branch locations in Bay Shore, Bay Shore King Kullen, Bethpage, Central Islip, Commack King Kullen, Elmont, Farmingdale, Freeport, Glen Cove, Hempstead, Huntington, Levittown King Kullen, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Melville, Mineola, North Babylon, Patchogue, Port Jefferson, Riverhead, Seaford, Smithtown, Roosevelt, West Babylon and Westbury with over 425 surcharge-free ATMs in King Kullen, 7-Eleven, CVS Pharmacy and Costco locations throughout Long Island.  For more information, call 1-800-628-7070 or visit www.bethpagefcu.com.

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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