Hauppauge, NY - June 11th, 2013 - Ahold USA and its newly merged foundation, the Our Family Foundation has awarded Long Island Cares, Inc.-The Harry Chapin Food Bank a $125,000 grant to support their Kids Cafe After School Food and Mentoring Program. The grant is part of a three-year initiative to fight child hunger across Ahold USA's market areas.
Established in 2002, Long Island Cares' KIds Cafe Program provides nutritious meals and snacks to children who have no safe after-school environment and who have limited access to food and little if any appropriate space to do homework or play. At a Kids Cafe, under the supervision of trustworthy staff, a child can do homework and get involved with other educational, recereational and social activities and enjoy a healthy meal. Long Island Cares oversees eleven Kids Cafe's and two After-School Snack Programs across Long Island. The After-School Snack Programs are slated to become Kids Cafes within six-months. "This very generous grant has given our Kids Cafe Program a real boost," said Mildred Montes, Child Nutrition Specialist at Long Island Cares. "We have expanded the number of sites and we have been able to supply much needed kitchen equipment so the programs can switch from serving snacks to serving meals. It has made a tremendous change."
Ahold USA supports four regional divisions: Stop & Shop New England; Stop & Shop New York Metro; Giant Landover and Giant Carlisle that operate nearly 775 supermarkets with approximately 120,000 associates in 14 states and the District of Columbia, along with Peapod, the nation's leading online grocery shopping/delivery service. With nearly $26 billion in sales, Ahold USA is in the top ten largest food retailers in the United States. The goal of the "Feed More Children" initiative is to get healthy meals to more hungry children.
"This is a very significant grant to address a very significant issue on Long Island," said Paule Pachter, Long Island Cares' Executive Director. "There are more than 110,000 children on Long Island that are food insecure and our Kids Cafe programs which are part of a nationalwide program supported by Feeding America is one solution for these children in need. We work closely with several community-based Boys and Girls Clubs to provide Kids Cafe sites and because of this grant from Ahold USA we can do so much more in the next three years."
About Long Island Cares, Inc.
Long Island Cares, Inc. - The Harry Chapin Food Bank is Long Island's first food bank: serving the hungry on Long Island since, 1980. Long Island Cares brings together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry on Long Island and provides emergency food where and when it is needed, and sponsors a wide variety of innovate direct service programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency. The organization was founded by the late singer, Grammy Award winning songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin in response to the growing issue of hunger on Long Island. It is continued today by his wife and partner Sandy Chapin, a dedicated Board of Directors and talented staff working out of their 35,000 square foot facility in Hauppauge and their storefront hunger assistance centers in Freeport and Lindenhurst. Long Island Cares is a member agency of the Food Bank Association of New York State and Feeding America. Long Island Cares, Inc. is recognized by the NYS Department of Health and the USDA as the regional food bank for Long Island.
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For More Information, Please Contact:
Robin Amato
Director of Development and Communications
631-582-3663 x 103
