Long Island Students Spend Vacation Collecting Food
UNIONDALE, NY (WCBS 880) - Hundreds of Long Island high school students are spending their mid-winter break at Island Harvest in Uniondale helping to prepare and distribute food for the needy.
WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reports
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Island Harvest CEO Randi Dresner says they're giving back and being part of the solution.
"We have a very active student leadership council, about 300 kids that are involved, kids who care about hunger," says Dresner.
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Great Neck South senior Danny Cho says, "It's a great feeling. I know a couple of students have been saying, 'I can't believe we're doing it' It's a sense of pride in being a part of this greater thing."
"It feels great to know that you're benefiting others," says Cho. "It costs nothing to do this."
Dresner says these future leaders get a lot out of what they're doing: "Self worth. They learn about themselves and they learn about how important it is to be part of community and help other people."
The food these young people are preparing will eventually find its way to some 285,000 people in need.
LINK: Island Harvest
Students who are participating come from Carle Place, Copiague, Great Neck, Great Neck South, Half Hollow Hills, Herricks, Jericho, Levittown MacArthur, Manhasset, Mineola, North Shore, Our Lady of Mercy, Port Washington, Roslyn, Seaford, Wantagh, and Wheatley.
According to a news release, this is one of several educational initiatives by Island Harvest to engage local students in issues affecting Long Island while teaching them about active participation as a means in addressing the region's problems.
