HICKSVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As many people sit down to Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and give thanks for family, friends and a bountiful meal, National Grid is acutely aware that many customers whose homes were devastated by Hurricane Sandy will not have the usual comforts this year. In recognition of that, National Grid has launched “Operation Turkey: Feeding Families, Restoring Hope”, to bolster the resources of community partners who traditionally host Thanksgiving dinner for families in need.
National Grid, with the help of A&P, will deliver 2,500 turkeys to community pantries, food banks, and advocacy organizations, across 16 Metro New York-areas. Some organizations will receive up to 375 turkeys, along with a financial donation to round out the table with traditional Thanksgiving side dishes that will help feed hundreds of families in need. Other organizations have requested only the financial donation to help provide extra resources for their tables.
“For those of us who have been working tirelessly to restore heat and power to downstate New York neighborhoods for three weeks now, giving thanks takes on a whole new meaning. In some cases, the basic comforts of life: a warm bed, family nearby and a hot meal, were taken away by the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy,” said Ken Daly, President of National Grid – New York. “At National Grid we believe our support goes ‘beyond the meter;’ if customers cannot receive service due to structural or flood damage, we want to do what we can to ease the burden through the restoration process. This year, as we give thanks for the safety of our family and friends, we hope they can put their troubles aside for one afternoon and enjoy a hot meal with loved ones.”
“We’re happy to support this worthy cause by providing the logistics support necessary to deliver these turkeys around the Metro New York area in time for Thanksgiving dinner,” said Sam Martin, President and CEO of A&P. “As the food and drug store of the neighborhood, it’s our responsibility to take care of the communities we serve by helping to make sure the organizations that provide Thanksgiving meals are able to do so this year, despite the aftermath of the storm.”
The organizations receiving the turkey dinners and/or financial donations are located in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Far Rockaway and on Long Island. They include:
- Long Beach Recreation and Ice Rink – Long Beach
- Island Harvest - Hauppauge
- Chateau La Mar - Lindenhurst
- Project Hospitality – Staten Island
- Martin Luther King Center – Long Beach
- Oceanside Community Service – Ocean Side
- Community Christian Center – Staten Island
- Abe Stark Rink – Coney Island
- Court Club – Brooklyn (Garrison Beach)
- Millennium Health Centers (six different clinic locations)
- Surfinbird – Far Rockaway
- Occupy Sandy – Far Rockaway
- Church of God Christian Academy – Far Rockaway
- St. Marks – Brooklyn
- St. Francis DeSales – Brooklyn
- The Church of the Nazarene – Far Rockaway
“At Operation SurfinBird, my wife Tamara and I have seen the devastation first-hand as we
worked in Far Rockaway following Superstorm Sandy. The neighborhoods are filled with wonderful, resilient people who have been hit hard. We aim to provide a distinguished Thanksgiving that feels real, authentic and communal,” said Eli Metcalf, founder of Operation SurfinBird. “We are thankful for the support of community partners like National Grid who step in at these critical moments to help us achieve our mission to bring a proper Thanksgiving table to our neighbors.”
Operation Turkey: Feeding Families, Rebuilding Hope began last week as ideas were discussed in partnership with many of National Grid’s valued community partners and elected officials serving our customers.
The shipment of turkeys arrived on Tuesday, November 20 at National Grid’s Melville Training Facility on Hub Drive. From there, National Grid and A&P workers are delivering the turkeys and donations to the 16 recipient organizations throughout Metro New York. On Thursday, our valued partner organizations will open their kitchens to many families for Thanksgiving surrounded by people united in giving thanks for small comforts this year.
To track Operation Turkey: Feeding Families, Rebuilding Hope, follow our photos on Twitter @nationalgridus or finds us on Facebook in Metro New York.
About National Grid
National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it ‘joins everything up’.
In the northeast US, we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. In Great Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country.
National Grid delivers electricity to more than 3 million customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. It manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation, providing power to over one million LIPA customers. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving more than 3 million customers in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
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About A&P
Founded in 1859, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) is one of the nation's first supermarket chains. The Company operates more than 300 stores in six states under the following trade names: A&P, Best Cellars, Food Basics, The Food Emporium, Pathmark, Superfresh and Waldbaum's.