6th Annual "Day of Making A Difference" to Remember Harry Chapin
Hauppauge, NY - June 30, 2014 - On Wednesday, July 16, 2014, Long Island Cares, Inc.-The Harry Chapin Food Bank will host its annual "Day of Making A Difference" to celebrate Harry Chapin's life and legacy. The event, which occurs on the anniversary of Chapin's death, gives Long Islanders an opportunity to commemorate and continue his work to address hunger on Long Island, which included establishing Long Island Cares as the region's first food bank in 1980.
All three of Long Island Cares' locations will be open to the public from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on July 16. Visitors will have opportunities to participate in several activities including: a Hunger 101 Workshop; donate non-perishable food, new school supplies, personal care products, household supplies, and pet food; tour the food bank; help sort food in the warehouse; become a recurring volunteer; purchase a gift of Harry Chapin's music; and make a donation to support the ongoing work of the organization, which serves more than 300,000 Long Islanders impacted by hunger and/or food insecurity. Refreshments are being provided by Rigatoni's Restaurant, Jonathan Lord Bakery, and Coca Cola. For directions to Long Island Cares' headquarters in Hauppauge, the Nassau Service Center in Freeport, or the South Shore Service Center in Lindenhurst visit licares.org.
In conjunction with the "Day of Making A Difference", Long Island Cares Inc. and the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts will co-sponsor Art Feeds Hunger's "The Faces of Hunger" exhibit, which begins on July 16 and continues through July 31. The exhibit will feature ten depictions of hungry children, and ten portraits of musicians and recording artists including Harry Chapin, Billy Joel, Dee Snider and John Lennon who are closely aligned with relevant charities and causes; all twenty pieces are the work of artist and Art Feeds Hunger founder Lewis Isaac Testa. The exhibit will be on display at the BACCA Arts Center in Lindenhurst Monday-Thursday 12:00-7:30 PM (with special hours on Wednesday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 29), Friday July 18 3:00-6:00 PM, Friday July 25 6:00-9:00 PM, and Saturday & Sunday 10:00 AM-3:00 PM. Anyone interested in attending the exhibit is encouraged to visit the calendar of events on the LI Cares website beforehand to confirm exhibit hours.
Long Island Cares staff and volunteers will be at the BACCA Arts Center to welcome visitors and collect donations of non-perishable food to support the work of The Harry Chapin Food Bank. Information about the broad array of programs and services provided to the community by Long Island Cares, Inc. will also be available, as well as the opportunity to purchase tee-shirts, CDs and prints of the art work on display.
Although admission to the exhibit is free, a non-perishable food or monetary donation is suggested. For more information on the exhibit, contact William Gonyou, Manager of Long Island Cares' South Shore Service Center in Lindenhurst at (631) 991-8106.
"After 33 years, we are still amazed at how dearly Long Islanders hold Harry in their hearts," says Paule Pachter, Long Island Cares, Inc. CEO. "He had a unique relationship with his fans and they don't forget that. We are so grateful to the public and to the business community for remembering Harry's work and the way he continues to challenge all of us to get involved in service to our neighbors in need. We're looking forward to welcoming many visitors on July 16th and looking forward to sharing a part of Harry with them on this special day."
To participate in the "Day of Making A Difference" call: (631) 582-FOOD.
About Long Island Cares, Inc.
Long Island Cares, Inc. - The Harry Chapin Food Bank is Long Island's first food bank: serving the hungry on Long Island since, 1980. Long Island Cares brings together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry on Long Island and provides emergency food where and when it is needed, and sponsors a wide variety of innovate direct service programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency. The organization was founded by the late singer, Grammy Award winning songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin in response to the growing issue of hunger on Long Island. It is continued today by his wife and partner Sandy Chapin, a dedicated Board of Directors and talented staff working out of their 35,000 square foot facility in Hauppauge and their storefront hunger assistance centers in Freeport and Lindenhurst. Long Island Cares is a member agency of the Food Bank Association of New York State and Feeding America. Long Island Cares, Inc. is recognized by the NYS Department of Health and the USDA as the regional food bank for Long Island.