Long Island, NY - December 21, 2015 - Responding to a critical need to provide Long Island families in need with a warm, holiday-style meal, New York Community Bank (NYCB), recently donated $20,000 to Island Harvest Food Bank. The funding has allowed Island Harvest to purchase frozen turkeys throughout the holiday season for people faced with hunger on Long Island. NYCB volunteers and executives got the chance to gave out some of the turkeys, along with boxes of trimmings to make a holiday meal complete, to families who are struggling and food insecure at Family Service League’s (FSL) William Floyd School District Family Center in Mastic Beach as part of FSL’s Project TOY distribution. 

“NYCB heard about Island Harvest’s Turkey and Trimmings Collection Campaign and the need to help our Long Island neighbors struggling with hunger through various news reports and they reached out to us to see how they can help,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest. “We’re grateful for the generous donation and support from NYCB in recognizing the critical issue of hunger on Long Island; their direct involvement is making a difference for those Long Islanders facing hunger this holiday season.”

For more than 316,000 Long Islanders faced with not having enough to eat each day, the warmth of a holiday-style meal or a toy for their children is often beyond their reach. These include hard-working adults, children, seniors and veterans who cannot always make ends meet and are frequently forced to go without food.  NYCB’s generous donation will put a warm, holiday-style meal on the tables of hundreds of Long Island families, who would have gone without.

“Our commitment to the communities we serve comes from the heart.  We believe by giving time, talent and funding we can make a difference.  When we heard that Island Harvest needed extra support to provide for those in need this holiday season, we felt compelled to act.  It is our privilege to support our neighbors in need and to work with Island Harvest during the holiday season as well as throughout the year.” explains John Fennell, NYCB’s Director of Retail Banking. 

“Family Service League is proud to work with Island Harvest, New York Community Bank and the William Floyd School District to provide holiday toys and food for so many in need,” said Karen Boorshtein,  president and CEO, FSL. “This is a wonderful collaboration and we are happy to have the opportunity to bring joy to families struggling under the burden of financial hardship. FSL is grateful for the thousands of corporate and individual donors that have supported the FSL Project TOY program this year which will serve over 6,000 Long Island children.”             

About Hunger on Long Island          
Hunger is a state in which people do not get enough food to provide the nutrients for active and healthy lives. It can result from the recurrent and involuntary lack of access to food. More than 316,000 Long Islanders face the risk of hunger every day, according to Island Harvest and Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization. These are often hard-working adults, children, seniors and veterans who cannot always make ends meet and are often forced to go without food. Approximately 70,000 individuals seek food assistance in Nassau and Suffolk counties each week through soup kitchens, food pantries and other feeding programs served by Island Harvest.

About Island Harvest Food Bank
Island Harvest Food Bank is a leading hunger-relief organization that provides food and other resources to people in need. Always treating those it helps with dignity and respect, its goal is to end hunger and reduce poverty on Long Island through efficient food collection and distribution; enhanced hunger-awareness and nutrition-education programs; job training; and direct services targeted at children, senior citizens, veterans and others at risk. Approximately 94 cents of every dollar donated to Island Harvest goes to programs that support more than 316,000 Long Islanders. Island Harvest is a lead agency in the region’s emergency-response preparedness for food and product distribution, and is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. More information can be found at www.islandharvest.org.

About New York Community Bank
New York Community Bank is the savings bank subsidiary of New York Community Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:NYCB).  It consists of over 240 branches serving customers throughout Metro New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, and Arizona. On Long Island, NYCB’s Roslyn Savings Bank Division operates 50+ branches and has been part of the local Long Island landscape since 1875.  NYCB puts an emphasis on service and convenience and is proud of its long-standing reputation within the communities it operates for strength, stability and service.  As a community bank committed to being a good corporate neighbor, NYCB  not only demonstrates its commitment by engaging in sound and ethical business practices, but also by giving back in various ways.  We are proud to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve.  To learn more about NYCB visit any of our branches or www.mynycb.com