Turkeys, canned good and money donated at drive to benefit Island Harvest

The mood was celebratory under cloudy skies Friday morning at the Bethpage headquarters of FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, as it conducted its 17th annual Turkey Drive to benefit Island Harvest Food Bank, which would distribute the donations to Long Island families in need.

A DJ spun dance tunes as a steady stream of cars, vans and company trucks came into the parking lot to drop off frozen turkeys, canned goods and monetary donations from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Some people dressed up as turkeys. And many noted the fun time was for a serious cause: to help people on Long Island who are food insecure, especially during the holiday season. According to Feeding America's 2023 Map the Meal report, 240,000 Long Islanders were food insecure.

As Jim Owens, of Farmingdale, who with his wife, Joanne, dropped off a couple of turkeys, put it: "Why are we donating? Because people need food."

FourLeaf president and CEO Linda Armyn said this year, with the increased need, FourLeaf increased its monetary donation to Island Harvest, presenting the food bank with $50,000 above its regular $40,000 contribution. She said more company employees were volunteering with Island Harvest to help the food bank pack and distribute food.

Throughout the day, Island Harvest loaded up the donations to take to its various distribution points, said Island Harvest president and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner. The food bank distributes food to 300 food pantries, soup kitchens and other relief agencies.

The donations were large and small: from hundreds of turkeys and pallets of nonperishables delivered by employees of several firms, to individuals dropping off one or two turkeys. Some people dropped money into a donation box: $20 and $50 bills could be seen in the clear plastic container.

Corporate challenge

Armyn said the Turkey Drive included, for the third year, a corporate challenge, to expand participation in the effort.

H2M Architects and Engineers in Melville, with several employees dressed as turkeys, donated 720 turkeys and made an $11,000 donation to Island Harvest. 

Scott Maskin, the CEO of SUNation Energy in Ronkonkoma, wearing a turkey costume, stood on the back of a flatbed truck containing 100 turkeys and a pallet of canned food. "We support Island Harvest forever. It's a great organization and my team always steps up for this ... This is what Long Island is all about." 

 "It's a long day," Armyn said. "We get here at the crack of dawn, literally. And we try to keep the atmosphere festive so that the volunteers stay motivated and excited and welcoming to all the people. We also want there to be an exciting vibe when people come in to donate."

Armyn told Newsday earlier in the week that this year she hoped to collect 6,000 turkeys, to top last year's 5,800. In addition, she said last year's drive brought in 28,177 pounds of food, and $71,000 in monetary donations. Over the many years the Turkey Drive has been held, officials said 55,000 turkeys and 264,000 pounds of food had been donated to Island Harvest.

Amid the joy, Nancy Magrini-Cavallone, 68, of Hicksville, came up to Shubin Dresner with tears in her eyes as she handed over a $500 check. 

"When someone gives me a hug, they way she did," Shubin Dresner said of Magrini-Cavallone, "It's like code in our work. I know what it means. It means that she knows firsthand how important this work is."

Magrini-Cavallone confirmed that view. "I've been there. I know what it's like to grow up and not have a lot. I know what it was like to jump over some hurdles in life medically and have nothing. I've been there. But I've risen above it. And over the years I've always donated, but most of the time it was canned food. But this year I wanted to give you a check, so it'll go a little further."

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie