PSEG, L.I. Cares join forces to honor area veterans

PSEG Long Island and its employees embarked on a month-long mission in November to honor military veterans in collaboration with Long Island Cares. The effort focused on making a positive impact on the lives of veterans and their families through a series of initiatives aimed at providing them with essential items and fostering community support.

Every Tuesday in November, and again on Dec. 12, PSEG Long Island sponsored Military Appreciation Tuesdays at Long Island Cares’ Harry Chapin Food Bank pantries in Freeport, Bethpage, Hampton Bays, Huntington Station and Lindenhurst. There, veterans were treated to a range of offerings, including personal care essentials, fresh produce, winter jackets and pillows, LED light bulbs and reusable bags. Nearly 100 PSEG Long Island employee volunteers made sure that over 1,000 veterans and their families received assistance.

PSEG employees also took part in Nassau County’s Veterans Stand Down, collaborating with the veterans’ assistance organization General Needs. Volunteers gave almost 500 veterans new winter coats, hats, gloves, pillows, socks and undergarments, as well as LED light bulbs and information about the utility’s financial assistance and energy efficiency programs.

In a pre-Thanksgiving collaboration, PSEG L.I. joined forces once again with Long Island Cares and with the government of Suffolk County to distribute Thanksgiving dinners. The Dennison building, in Hauppauge, hosted a drive-through for over 350 veterans, who were given frozen turkeys, hams, pies, produce, and holiday-dinner trimmings. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone helped with the distribution.

“We are proud to sponsor these events and activities to help veterans throughout the month of November, the time of year when our nation recognizes the sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country,” David Lyons, PSEG Long Island’s interim president and chief operating officer, said. He also expressed his gratitude to the company’s employees for their involvement.

“Long Island Cares relies on corporate support to help fulfill our mission,” Jessica Rosati, Long Island Cares’ chief program officer, said. “This partnership has become a necessary lifeline for Long Island’s most vulnerable populations. We are humbled by the support provided by PSEG Long Island and its employee volunteers, and are grateful for their continued commitment to addressing Long Island food insecurity.”

Weekly donations from PSEG, as detailed by Idalia Boczek, Long Island Cares’ director of satellite services, reached every satellite location. Over the course of four Tuesdays beginning on Nov. 7 in Freeport alone, personal care and household items, produce boxes and dinner fixings were given out to as many as 80 local veterans’ families.

Boczek expressed her gratitude for PSEG L.I.’s support, noting the impact on veterans, especially during the distribution on Nov. 28, when they received three varieties of protein — pork chops, chicken and ground turkey.

Beyond the November events, PSEG L.I. employees, many of whom are military veterans themselves, took part in a variety of activities throughout the year in support of veterans. In September, they participated in the 22 PTSD Awareness Challenge, kayaking 22 miles across the Long Island Sound to raise awareness of the estimated 22 veterans who take their own lives each day.

In May and December, as they do each year, employees placed wreaths and American flags at Calverton National Cemetery and Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum for Flags Across America and Wreaths Across America. This year, PSEG L.I. donated 500 wreaths to the Wreaths Across America even last Saturday at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale.

Boczek stressed the significance of partnerships like the one with PSEG L.I. She emphasized that such collaborations help dispel misconceptions about Long Island Cares and food insecurity on Long Island.

“This partnership is important because there’s a misunderstanding that Long Island Cares is not in need,” Boczek said. “Despite the reality of our ongoing efforts, some people still have a misunderstanding. We have detailed information on our website regarding the extent of food insecurity among Long Islanders. However, it remains important to raise awareness so that everyone understands the actual needs within our community.”

The ongoing commitment of PSEG L.I. and its employees to supporting veterans exemplifies the positive impact that corporate-community partnerships can have. Amid the holiday season, the collaborative efforts of the company and Long Island Cares serve as a heartwarming example of the power of compassion and community support.