The Manhasset Rotary Club on Friday will launch a Thanksgiving food drive as part of the Interfaith Nutrition Network, a Long Island-based organization that provides food to the less fortunate.
The food drive will run through Nov. 15 and feature drop-box locations at Manhasset elementary, middle and high schools in addition to local village halls and the town clerk’s office at North Hempstead Town Hall, Rotary club officials said.
“The whole thing with the Rotary is service above self, so we’re always doing things for other people,” said Richard Law, the Rotary club’s vice president. “The Manhasset community is pretty giving, so this is a community drive to get everybody involved.”
Manhasset and Port Washington real estate boards and local fire departments will also participate in the drive, in addition to American Legion Post 304, whose offices are located at 27 Bayview Ave., Rotary club officials said.
Manhasset’s King Kullen location will also have food boxes throughout the duration of the drive. Law said the Manhasset Rotary’s Interact Club, which is comprised of high school students, will meet outside the store on Nov. 10 and 17 to accept donations.
The Interfaith Nutrition Network has requested non-perishable food items as part of the collection, including stuffing, canned yams, cranberry sauce, canned fruit, vegetables, gravy and soup, as well as boxed items like macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes.
The drive, Law said, mirrors a similar program the Rotary club sponsored in 2011 to collect goods for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that yielded 2,600 pounds of boxes that were shipped overseas.
“Manhasset’s always been a giving community, there’s so many charities that have evolved throughout the community,” Law said. “People really get out to help other people, it’s really the spirit of the community.”
