Annual Turkey Drive Provides Holiday Meal for Hungry Families

Girl Scouts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties and Bethpage volunteers gathered to collect more than 3,700 turkeys and 15,000 pounds of food for families in need.

On November 16, community members banded together in Bethpage to collect 3,725 turkeys and 15,000 pounds of non-perishable food during the Third Annual Bethpage Turkey & Trimmings Drive to benefit Island Harvest, Long Island's largest hunger relief organization. This year, Island Harvest has received 40,000 requests for Thanksgiving turkeys.

"Hunger has become a year-round issue on Long Island," says Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, adding that this annual event is helping to make a difference in the lives of thousands of local families and individuals who "know the insidious effects of hunger all too well."

This island-wide effort was organized and supported by several local organizations, including Bethpage Federal Credit Union (BFCU), Cablevision, Newsday, NY Islanders, LI Radio Group, Coliseum Caterers, Girl Scouts of Nassau, and Girl Scouts of Suffolk.