PSEG Long Island and its employees celebrated and supported military veterans throughout the month of November and beyond.
Every Tuesday in November and on Dec. 12, PSEG Long Island sponsored Military Appreciation Tuesday events at the Long Island Cares, Inc. – Harry Chapin Food Bank pantries in Bethpage, Hampton Bays, Huntington Station, Freeport and Lindenhurst.
Each Tuesday, when the veterans shopped at the pantries, they were offered LED lightbulbs, reusable bags and different extra items supplied by PSEG Long Island, including personal care needs, healthy proteins, fresh produce, winter jackets and pillows. In all, nearly 100 PSEG Long Island employee-volunteers served more than 1,000 veterans and their families with these healthy foods and other necessities.
PSEG Long Island employees also participated in Nassau County’s Veterans Stand Down, where employees distributed hundreds of items to the nearly 500 veterans who attended. In support of the General Needs veterans’ assistance organization, PSEG Long Island gave out new winter coats, hats, gloves, pillows, socks and undergarments, along with LED lightbulbs and information about the company’s financial assistance and energy efficiency programs.
The week before Thanksgiving, PSEG Long Island collaborated, once again, with Long Island Cares and Suffolk County government to distribute the makings of Thanksgiving dinner. In a drive-thru distribution for more than 350 veterans at the Dennison building in Hauppauge, PSEG Long Island employees handed out frozen turkeys and hams, pies, produce and other trimmings. In addition, the veterans were given LED lightbulbs and reusable shopping bags. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone stopped by to support the initiative and helped to distribute items.
“We are proud to sponsor these events and activities to help veterans throughout the month of November, the time of year when our nation recognizes the sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country,” said David Lyons, PSEG Long Island’s interim president and COO. “These initiatives are opportunities for us to honor veterans in our community and thank them for their service. I am grateful to our PSEG Long Island employees for raising their hands to support our neighbors who served.”
“Long Island Cares relies on corporate support to help fulfill our mission. This partnership has become a necessary lifeline for Long Island’s most vulnerable populations. We are humbled by the support provided by PSEG Long Island and its employee volunteers, and are grateful for their continued commitment to addressing Long Island food insecurity,” said Dr. Jessica Rosati, vice president for programs at Long Island Cares.
Many veterans who participated said they were grateful for the helpful items distributed and for the personal attention they got from PSEG Long Island’s employee-volunteers.
In addition to these November events, PSEG Long Island employees, many of whom are military veterans themselves, participated in several other events and activities during the year to support veterans in the community.
- In September, several employees kayaked 22 miles across the Long Island Sound in the 22 PTSD Awareness Challenge to shine a light on the estimated 22 veterans who take their own lives each day.
- Each December and May, groups of employees place wreaths and American flags at the national cemeteries in Calverton and Pinelawn for Flags Across America and Wreaths Across America. This year, PSEG Long Island also donated 500 wreaths to the wreath-laying event taking place Dec. 16.
- In August, employee-volunteers greeted veterans and distributed PSEG Long Island-provided fresh produce, clothing and other items at Suffolk County’s Veterans Stand-Down event.
PSEG Long Island has a longstanding commitment to honoring and supporting veterans and is proud to count military veterans among its workforce. Its employees are dedicated to providing customers with safe, reliable power and also committed to the communities they serve by engaging in community service activities to support and help their neighbors. For more information on how PSEG Long Island supports the communities it serves, visit psegliny.com/community.
