Panera, Island Harvest Partner to Help Hungry LI Families

Island Harvest is partnering with Panera Bread to help those hit hard by Hurricane Sandy and Long Islanders who are hungry.

With the holidays almost upon us, Panera Bread will serve as a designated drop-off site for Island Harvest’s annual Turkey & Trimmings Collection Campaign, a lifeline for many families in need in the aftermath of Sandy and for hundreds of thousands of Long Islanders who struggle to put food on the table.

To lend a helping hand this holiday season, Panera Bread is asking its neighbors to donate frozen turkeys, supermarket turkey coupons and non-perishable food items at any of its 22 Long Island bakery-cafes on or before Dec. 24.

Panera Bread is located at 313 Merrick Road in Rockville Centre.

According to Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, nearly 300,000 Long Islanders, including 110,000 children struggle with food insecurity. That's one out of every 10 Long Islanders and with the recent devastation those numbers have grown.

“Donations of frozen turkeys, turkey coupons and non-perishable food items will be welcomed at our bakery-cafes in Nassau and Suffolk now through Dec. 24, and can be dropped off as early as 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.,” said Greg George, Vice President of Operations for Panera Bread on Long Island. “These donations will help Island Harvest provide warm, nutritious meals to local families in need throughout the holidays.”

Also, guests who wish to make a monetary contribution to help support Island Harvest’s efforts in the aftermath of Sandy, can do so in amounts of $1 or more at the register.

An essential sponsor, Panera Bread provides more than 1,000 pounds of bread daily from its area bakery-cafes to help support Island Harvest’s hunger relief efforts.