LI Cares 'Awash' In Pasta Sauce, Sweet Peppers Thanks To Donation From Botticelli Foods

COMMACK, NY — Long Island Cares is "awash" with different flavors of pasta sauce and sweet peppers. Botticelli Foods of Commack donated three tons' worth to the food bank, as well as $25,000 to help feed the hungry.

"The food insecure among us will be feasting on this for months to come," Long Island Cares spokesman Pete Crescenti said.

Botticelli Foods had been looking to establish a long-term partnership with an organization that helps feed children in need of meals, Salvatore Asaro, CEO of Botticelli Foods, said. The company reached out to Long Island Cares a few months ago with the intent of making an impact in the local community.

Kaylin Peterson, the philanthropy manager at Long Island Cares, learned Botticelli Foods had a particular interest in children's nutrition and told them about the food bank's Pack It Up for Kids program.

"I mentioned about becoming a Corporate Hero and the level of support that would require, and without hesitation, Salvatore wanted in," Peterson told Patch.

Asaro said wanting to help children in need of food, as well as Botticelli's connection and passion for Italian culinary products, gave the company a "sincere willingness" to aid the food bank.

"It keeps us motivated to keep helping more and more kids, since it fills our hearts with love knowing that each kid will be eating good food and will not be food-insecure," he said.

Peterson recalls telling Asaro that Long Island Cares would benefit from a food donation. Within days, the food bank had 6,444 pounds of sauce in the warehouse ready for distribution, Peterson said.

The "drool worthy" flavor options, she said, include: lemon Alfredo, pesto Alfredo, alla vodka and tomato basil. Asaro told Long Island Cares that the sauces will be a recurring donation as resources become available, according to Peterson.

Peterson said she "LOVES" the idea of the food-insecure population getting to dine on fancy Italian sauces and peppers for months, as she personally loves delicious food.

"The fact that people who might not be able to afford it on a regular basis get to enjoy it, too, makes me really happy," she said. "I remember when I first started at Long Island Cares, I visited the satellite locations, seeing brands like Pantene and Downy on the shelves shocked me. It made me happy to know that people who might be experiencing a rough time can still have access to top-of-the-line products that make them feel good."

Botticelli Foods "absolutely" plans to continue working with Long Island Cares, building on the initiative and helping more kids each year, Asaro said.

"We hope what we are doing will inspire more to help kids that are food-insecure," Asaro said. "We will be sending this message out on all of our social media platforms to encourage our customers to help kids that are food-insecure."

Botticelli Foods also plans to send staff to participate in the Pack It Up for Kids program.

"Salvatore – you rock!" Peterson said. "You are a true definition of what it means to be a Corporate Hero and we are beyond grateful for this new partnership."

Patch has partnered with Feeding America since 2020 to help raise awareness in our local communities of hunger, a persistent national problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks and 60,000 local meals programs across the country, estimates that nearly 34 million people, including 9 million children — about 1 in 6 Americans — are living with food insecurity. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.