Woman raises $10K for Island Harvest

When Veronica Medina learned that more than 93,000 children on Long Island go hungry each day, she knew she had to act. Embarking on an 18-month, personal fundraising effort, the Bellmore resident raised just over $10,000 to sponsor a truckload of food and personal care items to help local families who have fallen on hard times.

Medina's project became a reality as a tractor-trailer full of food recently rolled up to Westfield Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, and was then offloaded to Island Harvest, Long Island's largest hunger-relief organization. The group, in turn, distributed the goods to 50 of its member agencies, benefiting 400 Long Island families.

"There's nothing like helping others, especially when it comes to kids," said Medina, who raised the money from friends and co-workers and is continuing her fundraising to sponsor another truckload to help more families in need.

"Veronica is to be commended for her thoughtfulness and generosity," said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest. "Her hard work paid off and is now benefiting 400 local families who have been affected by the bad economy or other circumstances."

Island Harvest serves as the bridge between those who have surplus food and those who need it, supplying hundreds of community-based nonprofit organizations on Long Island with critical food support to help stem the advancing tide of hunger in our communities. Island Harvest is a member of Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest). For more information about Island Harvest, visit www.islandharvest.org, or call (516) 294-8528.