Verizon Again Joins Island Harvest in Collecting Food for Long Island's Hungry
For the second year, Verizon will sponsor and assist Island Harvest's holiday-season activities to collect food and help feed people who are hungry on Long Island.
Last year Verizon helped Island Harvest - Long Island's largest hunger-relief organization - in its food drive to collect 8 million pounds of food, and awarded the agency with a $10,000 grant.
This year, Verizon has signed on to be a sponsor of Island Harvest's 2011 Turkey and Trimmings Collection Campaign. In addition to supporting Island Harvest's own activities, Verizon employees across Long Island will be donating food items through Dec. 16 at 20 company locations, to Island Harvest's Turkey and Trimmings Campaign. Donation locations will be set up in building and garage common areas, and donated food items will be handed over to Island Harvest each week.
The company also will play a key role in Island Harvest's Hunger Awareness Student Campaign. As part of the school-based initiative, students will be urged to collect coins in brown paper bags, which are being distributed to more than 70 school districts across Long Island. The bags of coins will be brought to schools to fill large collection buckets, which in turn will be donated to Island Harvest. Verizon representatives will join in school kickoff presentations, and the company will match the student coin collections, up to a total of $10,000.
"Hunger often isn't thought of as a Long Island problem," said Susan Retta, Verizon vice president of Marketing. "But there are thousands of Long Islanders who take advantage of food pantries, soup kitchens and other assistance agencies. As a key member of the Long Island corporate community, we want to do all we can to help our Long Island neighbors. It's just the right thing to do."
Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, said, "Hunger is a very real problem in our communities, and we are grateful to Verizon in partnering with Island Harvest to help address this critical issue. The company's generosity and encouragement of their employees to get involved will make a big difference in the lives of those Long Islanders who unfortunately know hunger all too well."
Verizon also has activated its Verizon Velocity program, through which the company makes cash donations to Island Harvest for each qualifying order from Long Islanders who order Verizon products and services through the end of the year. At the end of 2010, the company donated $6,000 to Island Harvest. A link to the Verizon Velocity program is on the Island Harvest web site, www.islandharvest.org.
About Island Harvest
Fighting hunger and touching lives, Island Harvest serves as the bridge between those who have surplus food and those who need it, supplying over 570 community-based nonprofit organizations on Long Island with critical food support to help stem the advancing tide of hunger in our communities. Island Harvest has delivered more than 71 million pounds of food, supplementing nearly 54 million meals, since its inception in 1992. In support of its mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island, the organization is actively involved in education, outreach, advocacy, job training and hunger awareness programs. Island Harvest is a member of Feeding America. For more information about Island Harvest, visit www.islandharvest.org.
About Verizon
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 consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 107 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $106.6 billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.
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