Island Harvest Food Bank has announced that its 26th Annual Taste of the Harvest Celebration, presented by New York Community Bank and Petro Home Services, will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 6:00 p.m., at Crest Hollow Country Club, 8325 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury.
PSEG Long Island, a longtime supporter of Island Harvest Food Bank in its mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island is this year’s honoree. Shivani Patel of Old Brookville, a junior at Friends Academy will receive the 2019 Student Ambassador Award in recognition of her efforts in helping create a hunger-free Long Island.
Emmy Award-winning Pei-Sze Cheng, a member of NBC 4 New York’s investigative unit, the I-Team will emcee the highly popular and much-anticipated event that raises funds to support Island Harvest Food Bank’s hunger-relief efforts in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The Taste of the Harvest Celebration is a gourmet tasting event that features a variety of scrumptious food and desserts from more than 40 of Long Island’s top restaurants, caterers, country clubs and other fine eateries.
The Taste of the Harvest Celebration also features an exciting raffle and a silent auction with prizes that include New York sports memorabilia, weekend getaways, restaurant gift certificates, and much more.
“On any given day, you may find PSEG Long Island employees, alongside the Island Harvest team, planting and harvesting food at the Healthy Harvest Farm, or sorting and packing food at the Center for Food Collection and Distribution,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president, and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. “Whether it’s spreading the word about important food drives like Stamp Out Hunger, or helping out at a local food drive, PSEG Long Island employees are there to support Island Harvest’s mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island.”
Since 2014, the company has actively supported hundreds of local non-profit organizations
through its Community Partnership Program. In 2018, employees logged 26,000 service
hours volunteering at 1,145 fundraising and community events supporting our local
community. Since the start of this year, PSEG Long Island employees have logged more
than 2,500 service hours at Island Harvest Food Bank, participating in more than
100 volunteer activities.
Island Harvest Food Bank’s 2019 Student Ambassador, Shivani Patel, is an eleventh-grade student at Friends Academy in Locust Valley. She is a member of her school’s tennis team and is involved in several clubs focused on helping those in her community. Shivani has always had a passion for giving back to her community and wishes to spend her time supporting those in need around the world. In recent years, she has immersed herself in her parents’ nonprofit organization, which has helped shape her into the giving, helpful young person that she is today.
She and her family have provided school supplies, Thanksgiving meals, and holiday presents to those who need it most. Shivani has dedicated much of her time to volunteering at Island Harvest Food Bank, helping out with such events as the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, and the Summer Food Service Program, among others.
Tickets for the Taste of the Harvest Celebration are $325 per person; the purchase helps Island Harvest Food Bank continue its hunger-relief mission throughout Long Island. For more information about the event, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact Stacy Parsell, Vice President of Development, at 631-873-4775, or stacy@islandharvest.org.
