Hi Everyone,

I had a great conversation with Randi Shubin Dresner yesterday, and I am so thankful that there are people in the world like Randi! Randi has been at the helm of the organization, Island Harvest, Long Island’s largest food bank, for over 20 years, and has not only increased their ability to get more food to more families, but has also improved the types of food they are supplying. It used to be that food pantries mostly distributed only shelf stable foods, like canned soup, beans or pasta, but now, due to increased income, they are actually able to purchase food, and are supplying more fresh fruits and vegetables to the families they service.

In addition to addressing food insecurity, Island Harvest understands the other social services that people in our communities need, including job training, and they offer programs to address those needs, such as their Nutrition Pathways Program, their one on one Community Empowerment Program, their organic garden, or the Workforce Skills Development Institute. This past year, Island Harvest moved to a new building in Melville, where they plan to open a state of the art Demonstration Kitchen where they will be able to teach nutrition and have cooking classes for their food pantry directors and the people they serve.

During COVID, they needed to adjust to a new normal. Ninety percent of the food pantries they serviced closed down, the food supply chain was disrupted, and their army of 14,000 volunteers didn’t feel safe coming to work anymore. Meanwhile, food insecurity grew, and more families needed help. Somehow, under Randi’s leadership, Island Harvest rose to the occasion, and found ways to get food to those people in need.

If you want to hear more about it, listen to our interview here:

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