Community Corner

Island Harvest Receives $25,000 Grant from LICF

Grant money used to purchase refrigeration and freezer equipment.

A $25,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation to will help the Mineola-based hunger-relief organization provide upgraded equipment to its affiliates.

With requests for food assistance at an all-time high on Long Island, food pantries and soup kitchen are not only struggling to keep up with increased demand, but many are in need of suitable equipment to properly store perishable and frozen foods.

The grant was used to purchase 14 refrigerators, 12 freezers, six shelving units and 26 coolers for 45 of Island Harvest’s member agencies that serve over 10,000 people every month.

Find out what's happening in Mineolawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Much of the equipment replaces outdated, inefficient freezers and refrigerators giving agencies the added benefit of realizing cost and energy savings by using more energy-efficient models. Coolers were distributed to member agencies that collect food at Island Harvest’s central distributions enabling them to safely transport fresh, perishable and frozen product to their facilities.

One beneficiary agency, Copiague-based Circle of Love Ministry, serves over 1,200 people each month. Additional freezer and refrigeration capacity will allow the non-denominational organization be able to store more food and, consequently, give more to people who need food assistance. Other recipient agencies include the Salvation Army and KoLoKi in Freeport.

Find out what's happening in Mineolawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Funding for the LICF grant was made possible, in part, by the Greentree Foundation Fund and the Col. William Smith Fund. LICF is a division of The New York Community Trust, one of the country’s oldest and largest community foundations.


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