To Aid Island Harvest, Verizon Opens More Food-Donation Locations and Holds Additional Events to Encourage Public's Participation

Verizon and its Long Island employees are making an impact on Island Harvest's goal to collect 8 million pounds of food in 2010.

In just over two weeks of supporting Island Harvest, Long Island's largest hunger-relief organization, Verizon and its employees across Long Island have collected more than 3,000 pounds of food to be distributed to needy Long Islanders this holiday season.  Island Harvest has collected more than 5.7 million pounds thus far this year toward its goal.

In addition to the more than 25 partnerships Verizon has already made with select 7-Eleven convenience stores, Stop and Shop and Shop-Rite supermarkets, the company has recently added 19 Panera Bread locations as collection points for this tremendous community effort.

Over the next several days, the company will sponsor additional activities during which Long Islanders can make food donations.

On Nov. 24 and 26 (the days before and after Thanksgiving), people attending the New York Islanders home games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New Jersey Devils, respectively, can donate nonperishable items at the food drop-off boxes upon entry into Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  Fans who donate three or more nonperishable items will receive a voucher for one free ticket per family to the Islanders' games on either Dec. 16 or Jan. 11 (Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks, respectively).

Also, on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) Verizon and Island Harvest will be present at the 33rd Annual Garden City Turkey Trot at St. Paul's School, Rockaway and Stewart Avenues.  Anyone donating one nonperishable food item or making a monetary donation of a dollar or more will be entered in a drawing for tickets to a future Islanders game.  Verizon also donated 7,000 water bottles to this year's local Long Island race, which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

On Sunday (Nov. 28) at The Tanger Outlets at the Arches in Deer Park, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Verizon and Island Harvest will collect food donations at the Shopper Services location within the mall.  Radio station WPLJ's Party Patrol will also be present from 1 to 3 p.m. to entertain shoppers.  Those who donate at least one nonperishable item or make a monetary donation of one dollar or more can enter to win tickets to WPLJ's Holiday Bash.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 93 million customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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