Joining together to replenish non-perishable supplies and sustain essential anti-hunger efforts, Island Harvest Food Bank announced that they are joining with NBC 4 New York/WNBC, Telemundo 47/WNJU, Stop & Shop and seven other regional food banks on Saturday, April 13 for the third annual Feeding Our Families (or Alimentando a Nuestras Familias in Spanish) food drive. The food collection drive will take place at more than 250 local Stop & Shop locations between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
One of the largest, single-day, multi-state food drives in the Northeast, Feeding our Families has generated more than $2 million meals for local families in the first two years of the drive. With food banks such as Island Harvest Food Bank facing their greatest need between the months of January and August, more than 300 tons of essential non-perishable goods have also been donated to eight regional food banks by NBC and Telemundo viewers during that time.
Donations are being accepted for non-perishable food and personal hygiene items, including frequently requested items like baby diapers, are most in need. For a sample shopping list of the most requested non-perishable items, visit NBCNewYork.com/fooddrive or telemundo47.com/alimentar. Volunteers will also distribute this list to shoppers visiting all participating Stop & Shop locations on April 13.
“The work of our local food banks has never been more important, and WNBC’s commitment to fighting hunger has never been stronger. Feeding our Families is one of our largest and most successful community initiatives, and our team is passionate about helping their neighbors in need. Together with our partners at Stop & Shop, we look forward to helping our food banks restock their shelves and deliver more than a million meals across the tri-state,” said Eric Lerner, NBC 4 New York president and general manager.
NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47 will deliver live reports and broadcast cut-ins from local Stop & Shop locations on April 13, including on NBC 4 New York’s “Weekend Today in New York” and News 4 New York, as well as on Telemundo 47’s Noticiero 47 Telemundo. Anchors, reporters and employees from both stations will also visit Stop & Shop stores that day to support on-site collection efforts.
“Whether it’s the loss of a job, a temporary furlough or the resulting impact of a rent increase, putting food on the table can become a burden for families in any neighborhood. This is why our Alimentando a Nuestras Familias food and volunteer drive is so important. Working together with NBC 4 New York and Stop & Shop, we look forward to bringing our community together to help those who need our help the most,” said Cristina Schwarz, Telemundo 47 president and general manager.
Stop & Shop is one of the tri-state’s largest supermarket retailers, and the brand has been a strong partner of area food banks and hunger relief organizations for many years. Stop & Shop is committed to helping its communities enjoy better food and better lives — and to help put an end to hunger. Each year, the brand donates millions of meals to communities with food insecurity throughout the region.
“This is the third year that Stop & Shop has joined with NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47 to host the Feeding our Families food drive, and we’re looking forward to making this year’s campaign our largest and most successful yet,“ said Jennifer Brogan, Stop & Shop director of external communications and community relations. “We know that food insecurity remains a challenge in every community and together with our customers, we’ll be helping local food banks to restock their shelves and to deliver hundreds of thousands of meals to our neighbors who need them the most.”
Unique to NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47’s Feeding our Families/Alimentando a Nuestras Familias food and volunteer drive is the “Give 4” recruitment initiative. Those that register to volunteer four hours of their time every four months at local food banks can aid in more ways than stocking shelves, packing supplies and making local deliveries. “Give 4” donors can also assist local food banks and rescue operations through non-physical, customized tasks including accounting, social media, digital marketing and advertising, among others.
“Hunger is a year-round, chronic problem affecting 1 in 10 Long Islanders,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank, which provides food assistance and related services to 316,000 people in Nassau and Suffolk counties. “We’re grateful to have partners like NBC 4 New York, Telemundo 47 and Stop & Shop, to help us get the word out about just how prevalent hunger is in the tri-state area along with sparking the generosity of our neighbors in providing much-needed food to help people living with the uncertainty of hunger and food insecurity.”
For more information on the April 13 Feeding Our Families / Alimentando a Nuestras Familias food and volunteer drive, please visit NBCNewYork.com, Telemundo47.com, StopandShop.com or any participating food bank or food rescue organization.
