Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, REF - Sag Harbor) announced that he is hosting a food drive for the month of August in association with Island Harvest, a hunger relief organization on Long Island. The collected goods will go to the Bridgehampton and Southampton food pantries.

“There are so many families struggling to makes ends meet, not just during the holidays but all year long,” stated Assemblyman Thiele. “I am proud to host this drive for our community and also raise awareness of the prevalence of food insecurity on Long Island.”

According to Island Harvest, 54% of the households that they serve on Long Island fall at or below the poverty level, and 88% are food insecure in a given month. In addition, 74% of households report choosing between paying for food and paying for utilities at least once in the past 12 months.

The donations most in need are healthy non-perishable items, including: canned beans, dried beans, peanut butter or other nut butters, rolled oats, canned fruit in juice, canned vegetables (low sodium), low-sodium soups, canned tuna, canned chicken, brown rice or instant brown rice, quinoa, nuts and seeds, shelf stable milk and milk substitutes, whole grain pasta, low-sodium pasta sauce, popcorn kernels, canned stews, whole grain, low-sugar cold cereals, olive or canola oil, canned tomatoes, and dried fruits. In addition, non-foods such as soap, detergent and other cleaning items are welcome since Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars cannot be used for these non-food purchases.

All donated goods will be delivered to Island Harvest’s central donation center, where volunteers will organize, pack and earmark the donations for the Bridgehampton and Southampton food pantries.

Assemblyman Thiele is collecting donations through Friday, August 30^th. Donations may be dropped off at his new district office in Sag Harbor, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm. The new office is located at 3350 Noyac Road, Building B, Suite 1 in Sag Harbor. For more information on this food drive, please call Assemblyman Thiele’s office at 631-537-2583 or email Thielef@nyassembly.gov.

Island Harvest has become Long Island’s largest hunger relief organization. More than 300,000 Long Islanders turn to the organization’s network of over 400 member agencies, including local food pantries, soup kitchens and other non-profit feeding programs. To learn more about Island Harvest, visit their Web site.