In June of 2010, Long Island Cares, Inc. – The Harry Chapin Food Bank hosted a special ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate its new Nassau Service Center in Freeport.

The Nassau Service Center provides a broad array of community services for Long Islanders experiencing hunger and/or food insecurity, in an accessible storefront location.  In addition to a large food pantry, the Center offers job development services as well as entitlement and referral services.  It is also utilized for required training for member agencies located in Nassau County as well as a training center for the “Students Fighting Hunger” Volunteer Corp.

Long Island Cares worked with Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg and the Village of Freeport to secure the location at the corner of Sunrise Highway and Church Street, remodeling the space with donations of labor and materials from members of the Long Island Federation of Labor.  King Kullen Grocery donated the majority of the food with which the pantry opened. 

King Kullen Vice President Thomas Cullen commented, “King Kullen has been a long time supporter of the Long Island Cares Food Bank.  We are pleased to assist by providing over 3,000 packages of food products to help fill the shelves of this important Nassau County resource.  Helping the less fortunate in the community is a tradition that goes back to my grandfather, Michael J. Cullen, who founded King Kullen in 1930.”

Paule Pachter, Long Island Cares’ Executive Director, was grateful to everyone who made the project possible and says he expects that the Center will serve about 4,500 people a year.  “This Program is here to serve people of Nassau County who are experiencing hunger. We are happy and excited and ready to get to work.”