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The Barclay’s Golf Tournament Donates 5,529 Pounds of Surplus Food to Island Harvest Food Bank

Written by Don Miller  |  06. September 2016

Farmingdale, NY - September 2, 2016 - The PGA TOUR’s prestigious The Barclays, which recently concluded on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park, donated 5,529 pounds of food to Island Harvest Food Bank to help Long Islanders at risk of hunger. The food, which included an assortment of meats, cheeses, vegetables, salads, beverages, and other products, went unused and would have ended up as waste. Instead, the food will be distributed among some of Island Harvest Food Bank’s network of agencies that serve approximately 316,000 men women and children in Nassau and Suffolk counties identified as food insecure.

The donation is part of Island Harvest Food Bank’s surplus-food-recovery program, which picks up and distributes prepared food from local food establishments such as convenience stores, country clubs, catering facilities, pizzerias, hotels, restaurants, and others.  In 2015 Island Harvest Food Bank collected and distributed 279,264 pounds of food through this program that would have otherwise ended up in landfills.

The surplus-food-recovery program is a part of Island Harvest Food Bank’s overall efforts that source and deliver approximately 10 million pounds of food annually to support 500 food pantries, soup kitchens, and other nonprofit feeding programs across Long Island.

“We appreciate the thoughtfulness of The Barclay’s in helping us get food to people who need it, while at the same time reduce the amount of food that goes to waste,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. “The Barclay’s not only helped people in need but helped the environment by lessening the amount of food that would have been sent to a local landfill.”

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that approximately 30–40 percent of food in the United States goes to waste each year. Much of that food ends up in landfills when it could have helped families in need. According to the USDA, wasted food is the largest component of trash entering municipal landfills.

About Hunger on Long Island
Hunger is a state in which people do not get enough food to provide the nutrients for active and healthy lives. It can result from the recurrent lack of access to food. More than 316,000 Long Islanders face the risk of hunger every day, according to Island Harvest Food Bank and Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization. Those facing hunger include adults (often working two jobs), seniors and veterans. Unable to make ends meet, they (and their children) are often forced to go without food. Approximately 70,000 individuals seek food assistance in Nassau and Suffolk counties each week through soup kitchens, food pantries and other feeding programs served by Island Harvest Food Bank.

About Island Harvest Food Bank
Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading hunger-relief organization that provides food and other resources to people in need. Always treating those it helps with dignity and respect, its goal is to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island through efficient food collection and distribution; enhanced hunger-awareness and nutrition-education programs; job training; and direct services targeted at children, senior citizens, veterans and others at risk. Approximately 96 cents of every dollar donated to Island Harvest Food Bank goes to programs that support more than 316,000 Long Islanders. Island Harvest Food Bank is a lead agency in the region’s emergency-response preparedness for food and product distribution, and is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization. More information can be found at www.islandharvest.org.

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