King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. is celebrating its 92nd anniversary this August. While much has changed in the world since Michael J. Cullen founded King Kullen in August 1930, the iconic Long Island supermarket chain remains privately held and familyowned, with 27 King Kullen supermarkets and five Wild by Nature markets located throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
To mark the company’s anniversary, King Kullen employees have been volunteering this August at Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Food Bank, helping to unpack and sort food donations, with the different food types then boxed into cartons which go to any of the 325 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and senior homes served by Long Island Cares.
“When I mentioned to colleagues that our 92nd anniversary was coming up, manysaid they wanted to get involved,” explains Tracey Cullen, Esq., King Kullen Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Initiatives and the great-granddaughter of King Kullen founder Michael Cullen.“King Kullen has a long history of supporting Long Island Cares. As a board member there, I’m very aware of the organization’s mission to serve Long Island’s hungry and food-insecure populations. To reflect our 92nd anniversary, we began with a goal of 92 employees volunteering.I’m proud to say we’ve surpassed that number.”
“King Kullen is passionate about feeding the hungry,” observes Long Island Cares Chief Executive Officer Paule T. Pachter. “They have raised tens of thousands of dollars for Long Island Cares over the years, are involved in our food drives, and serve within our organization. We are honored to count King Kullen as a loyal friend and appreciate their commitment this August and always.”
According to King Kullen President & Chief Operating Officer Joseph W. Brown, a past Board President at Long Island Cares, the current employee volunteer effort reflects a passion that has been with King Kullen right from the start.
“Michael Cullen opened King Kullen during the darkest days of the Depression,” reflects Brown. “Throughout the 1930s, he made sure that King Kullen was donating to area soup kitchens and helping those in need. That tradition has stayed with King Kullen for more than nine decades and will remain with us now and in the future.”
Headquartered in Hauppauge, NY, King Kullen is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as American’s first supermarket. Also headquartered in Hauppauge, NY, Long Island Cares was founded in 1980 by singer-songwriter and activist, Harry Chapin.
