It takes someone with a true passion for helping people struggling with hunger to make a positive change and increase awareness and involvement for the cause. That’s sounds like Dan Grinberg, the newly elected Chairman of the Board of Island Harvest Food Bank, based in Melville, New York.
His dedication towards helping Island Harvest – a Feeding America member food bank – reach its goal of ending hunger and reducing food waste on Long Island has put a spotlight on his commitment to the issue of food insecurity.
Grinberg is the president and founder of Elara Brands, a Long Island based company that produces single-use gloves, clothing, and food packaging. The product line has long been a go-to for the restaurant and foodservice industry to meet safety and hygiene standards.
The veteran disposables executive has continually proven his commitment to the cause of hunger relief, not just for Long Island but across the country. “For each case of product sold, Elara donates a meal to local food banks through our partnership with Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. This year we expect to reach the milestone of five million donated meals.”
Grinberg started volunteering for Island Harvest in 2004 and was voted onto the board in 2005. Soon after, he was made Treasurer and is now honored to start his tenure as Board Chair. He says his experiences with Island Harvest inspired him to incorporate hunger relief into Elara’s business model.
“Elara’s products are used by restaurants to prepare and serve meals, yet at the same time so many people struggle to put meals on their tables, a bitter irony that moved me to start Elara with hunger relief at its core,” shared Grinberg. “Island Harvest was actually the first food bank to be a beneficiary of our program and is the model for how we support other food banks around the country.”
As for his objectives as Chairman, Grinberg says the board is committed to supporting Island Harvest’s CEO Randi Shubin Dresner and her team as they expand programs and services beyond distributing food, such as establishing nutrition education programs, job training, and other services directed towards those at risk of hunger. More than 94% of expended resources go towards programs that support Long Islanders facing hunger.
Grinberg adds that Island Harvest will continue to take a leadership role in emergency response preparedness. “Island Harvest has provided incredible support to Long Islanders throughout the pandemic, stepping up to meet the unprecedented need for food. The team at Island Harvest has worked tirelessly on the front lines to meet the demand, even putting their own health at risk well before vaccines became available.”
According to Grinberg, Island Harvest Food Bank is well positioned for growth. ”We recently purchased a 40,000 square foot warehouse facility, which will increase our capacity for distributing healthy and nutritious food and provide space for job training programs to give people the skills they need for employment and higher pay.”
For food distributors and restaurants looking to get involved with Island Harvest’s mission, Grinberg directs those interested to donate food, expertise, financial contributions, as well as spreading the word about the issue of hunger. For more information on Island Harvest Food Bank, visit their website.
For more information about Elara’s products and services, please visit their website or contact your distributor and ask for Elara’s full line of solutions.
