Hauppauge, NY - November 23, 2015 - NBTY, a global manufacturer, marketer, distributor and retailer of market-leading vitamins, supplements and sports and active nutrition products, today donated 300 turkeys to Island Harvest Food Bank to  will help make Thanksgiving brighter and more hopeful for Long Island families in need. NBTY company officials, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and NBTY company volunteers, were joined by Long Island resident and actress, singer and songwriter Raquel Castro and her family in distributing the turkeys to 11 nonprofit agencies at Island Harvest’s Hauppauge Distribution Center. 

For more than 316,000 Long Islanders faced with not having enough to eat each day, the warmth of a holiday-style meal on Thanksgiving may just be a hopeless wish. These are often hard-working adults, children, seniors and veterans who cannot always make ends meet and are often forced to go without food.  NBTY’s generous donation will put a warm, holiday-style meal on the tables of 300 Long Island families in need, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Families on Long Island struggling to put food on the table get help through the generous donation and support of NBTY and Island Harvest. Photo by Thomas Arato, NBTY Photograher).

“Island Harvest is grateful for the generous donation and support from NBTY in recognizing the critical issue of hunger on Long Island and taking positive steps to help those Long Islanders often forced to choose between paying the rent and buying food,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. “NBTY’s direct involvement has a tangible and positive impact in making a difference for those Long Islanders facing hunger this Thanksgiving.” 

Randi Shubin Dresner, president & CEO, Island Harvest; LI resident Raquel Castro, actress from the hit show Empire and Melissa Entwistle from NBTY distributing donated turkeys and food to help LI families in need enjoy a warm, holiday-style meal this Thanksgiving.

“NBTY is committed to helping the people of Long Island along their wellness journey,” said Sonya Soutus, Senior Vice President, Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer at NBTY. “Our roots are here, so naturally we are happy to support our local community in this way. In addition to the turkeys we are donating today, we are proud of our Associates, who through our food drive collected almost 2000 pounds of additional food items to donate to Island Harvest. We wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving and holiday season.”

“At this time of year when families on Long Island are struggling to make ends meet and are not sure where their Thanksgiving meal will come from or what it will consist of, NBTY has found it within their hearts to donate 300 turkeys to Island Harvest,” stated County Executive Steve Bellone.  “What an awesome way to underscore the spirit of giving.” 

“NBTY’s generosity is heartwarming and I’m happy to do my part in helping Island Harvest give Long Island families in need the opportunity to enjoy a warm, nutritious Thanksgiving dinner together,” said Ms. Castro, who most recently has appeared in the hit television show “Empire.”

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 and involuntary lack of access to food. More than 316,000 Long Islanders face the risk of hunger every day, according to Island Harvest and Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization. These are often hard-working adults, children, seniors and veterans who cannot always make ends meet and 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.

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 poverty 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 94 cents of every dollar donated to Island Harvest goes to programs that support more than 316,000 Long Islanders. Island Harvest 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 charity. More information can be found at www.islandharvest.org.

About NBTY
NBTY has enriched the lives of consumers around the world by introducing innovative products and solutions to the health and wellness marketplace for more than 40 years. Our ongoing mission to deliver the highest quality nutritional supplements and wellness products has resulted in an extensive portfolio of well-known and trusted brands, including Nature’s Bounty®, Sundown Naturals®, Osteo Bi-Flex®, Solgar ®, Balance Bar®, MET-Rx®, Pure Protein®, Body Fortress®, Puritan’s Pride®, Vitamin World®, Holland & Barrett®, De Tuinen® and many others. As a leading global manufacturer, marketer, distributor and retailer of market-leading vitamins and nutritional supplements, NBTY is committed to supporting wellness by creating products that consumers want and making them easily available anywhere they shop. Learn more about our wellness vision and industry-leading products at www.nbty.com.

Contact: Don Miller
West End Strategies, Ltd.
516-330-1647
westendstrategies@gmail.com