MarineMax teams up with Long Island Cares

MarineMax has teamed up with Long Island Cares and launched a Fill the Boat campaign to feed the hungry on Long Island.

Three Long Island MarineMax locations — MarineMax Lindenhurst, MarineMax Copiague and MarineMax Huntington — will participate by collecting non-perishable items to distribute through Long Island Cares, a hunger assistance organization that serves thousands of individuals and families in need on Long Island. All three locations will provide bags and encourage employees and customers to fill with non-perishable food, diapers, baby food, etc. and return them to the MarineMax stores. Both MarineMax Lindenhurst and MarineMax Copiague will have a designated Boston Whaler boat that they will fill between December 1, 2015 and December 18, 2015. The MarineMax Huntington locations will have a box to fill.

Long Island Cares is one of the region’s most comprehensive hunger assistance organizations, serving thousands of individuals and families in need.

“Their mission is to bring together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry on Long Island, and provide to the best of their ability for the humanitarian needs of our community,” explained Audrey Bess, MarineMax Lindenhurst marketing coordinator. “They are able to provide food when and where it’s needed and sponsor programs that promote self-sufficiency and educate the public about the causes and consequences of hunger on Long Island.”

Founded as the first food bank on Long Island in 1980 by the late singer, Grammy Award-winning songwriter and social activist Harry Chapin, Long Island Cares now provides nutritional food and support services for a network of more than 580 community-based member agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, child care programs, disability organizations, veterans’ services programs and more.

“We are proud to support this incredible organization where $0.89 of every dollar donated goes directly to those in need,” continued Bess. “They are real heroes and they provide an awesome service to our community. The participating MarineMax locations on Long Island wand to contribute to their mission of supporting our community.”