LongIsland.com

Moonjumpers Annual Community Day at the Lewis Oliver Farm in Northport Supported by Volunteers from National Grid and PSEG LI

Written by Long Island News & PR  |  02. June 2016

Hicksville, NY - May 27, 2016 - Moonjumpers, a charitable foundation, held its annual Community Day at Northport’s Lewis Oliver Farm. Moonjumpers partnered with two of their Corporate Sponsors, National Grid, and PSEG Long Island to spruce up the farm with local contractors who provided expertise and local business that donated supplies.

Over 50 talented volunteers and Friends of the Farm built a new roof for the chicken coop, painted, re-sided part of the tractor barn, installed new fencing, tilled and planted flower garden, and planted young trees. They also weeded the pasture that was being invaded by a plant that is dangerous for the animals and reseeded it. 

Volunteers from National Grid, PSEG Long Island and Friends of the Farm built a new roof on the chicken coop, painted the barn, installed a fence, tilled and planted a flower garden and made repairs. 

“We are very happy with the army of people that showed up and got so much accomplished. It languished for a while and became an overwhelming task. Moonjumpers got on ladders, which our volunteers don’t do, and we are so pleased they reroofed the chicken coop. This is great and it inspired others to pitch and carry on the enthusiasm,” said Ron Erlandson, Friends of the Farm volunteer at the Lewis Oliver Farm. 

The Lewis Oliver Farm was founded in 1828, the town of Huntington and Suffolk County purchased the farm in 2007 and since then it has been supported by an all-volunteer organization Friends of the Farm. Once, it was a working dairy farm and now it is home to Annabelle the cow and other animals including turkeys, peacocks, alpacas, and more for the community to enjoy.

Moonjumpers Community Day was in honor of East Northport musician Jeff Mucciolo who passed away suddenly last year at the age of 45. His father attended the event in his memory and said the farm was part of his son’s childhood. Mucciolo was a supporter of Moonjumpers and very charitable in his community.

“Jeff passed away too young and it means so much to see everyone here working hard to make sure that a place that was so close to his heart is getting the love and attention it needs to be here for another 100 years,” said Bob Benson, National Grid Manager of Contractor Oversight and President of Moonjumpers. “It's a great feeling knowing that we helped improve a place that is a piece of history and near and dear to our community."

During community day families with young children continually came to visit the animals. One mother said her son insists on going to visit Annabelle every day to feed her celery, she has become a local celebrity.

“We are proud to support our employee volunteers and to support Bob Benson the president of Moonjumpers, for all that he does to give back to the community,” said Lauren Perry, National Grid Community Coordinator and Customer Manager of Downstate New York. “We have never worked at farm before and this was a great experience for our employees working around the animals and children put a smile on everyone’s face and encouraged them to work harder.”

PSEG Long Island and National Grid have worked together for the past two years at the annual community day volunteer events.

“Our employees were happy to volunteer alongside our friends at Moonjumpers and National Grid to help maintain and restore a  little piece of Long Island history, Lewis Oliver Farm, ” said George Coburn, Manager of Community  Outreach.  “PSEG Long Island is committed to working with and supporting the communities in which we serve.”

The collaboration with Moonjumpers and PSEG Long Island makes those connections that go beyond those created through wires and pipes that serve the homes and businesses of neighbors and customers.

About National Grid
National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity and natural gas delivery company that connects nearly 7 million customers to vital energy sources through its networks in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates the systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.

Through its U.S. Connect21 strategy, National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions. Connect21 is vital to our communities' long-term economic and environmental health and aligns with regulatory initiatives in New York (REV: Reforming the Energy Vision) and Massachusetts (Grid Modernization).

For more information, please visit here, or its Connecting website. You can also follow on Twitter, You Tube, Facebook and Instagram.

About PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a 12-year contract.  PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of approximately $10.4 billion.

Employee engagement in our community is a top priority for the company.  PSEG Long Island employees have taken up the responsibility to get involved with local charity events and organizations through our Community Partnership Program. For more information visit  here.

Copyright © 1996-2024 LongIsland.com & Long Island Media, Inc. All rights reserved.