King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. (Hauppauge, NY) recently participated with WALK 97.5 in the Thanks for Giving Food Drive benefiting Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Food Bank. The food drive was promoted on WALK 97.5 and held in November at various King Kullen locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Customers were encouraged to help their food insecure neighbors this holiday season by purchasing extra food-related items that were collected by Long Island Cares at store exits.
“We always knew we had generous, caring customers, but this year’s response was truly phenomenal,” observed Tracey Cullen, Esq., King Kullen Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Initiatives and the great-granddaughter of King Kullen founder Michael Cullen. “The drive yielded 17,485 pounds of food and $3,895 in monetary donations. With monetary conversion, the drive raised 20,239 pounds of food, or roughly 10 tons. King Kullen and its customers have a long history of supporting Long Island Cares and I am very proud of this most recent effort.”
“King Kullen is passionate about feeding the hungry,” added Long Island Cares President & Chief Executive Officer Paule T. Pachter. “Beyond the food drives, they have raised tens of thousands of dollars for Long Island Cares over the years. Committed corporate partners like King Kullen help enable Long Island Cares to make such a meaningful difference in Nassau and Suffolk.”
According to Pachter, the various food types collected at King Kullen supermarkets during the food drive were boxed into cartons that will go to any of the 325 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and senior homes served by Long Island Cares.
“As a Long Island Cares board member, I am keenly aware of the organization’s commitment to Long Island’s 234,000 hungry and food-insecure men, women, and children,” concluded Cullen. “King Kullen and its customers are honored to play a role in helping Long Island Cares advance its mission.”
Headquartered in Hauppauge, NY, King Kullen is recognized by the Smithsonian
Institution as America’s first supermarket. Also headquartered in Hauppauge, NY, Long Island Cares was founded in 1980 by singer-songwriter and activist, Harry Chapin.
