White Castle, Long Island Cares, Team Up Against Hunger

LONG ISLAND, NY — Your next sliders or Crave Case can help take a bite out of food insecurity in New York.

White Castle and Long Island Cares are teaming up so, over parts of the next two years, customers can round up their bills for donations that will go to the Hauppauge nonprofit.

Long Island Cares is working with 10 White Castles across Nassau, Suffolk and Queens. Two rounds are planned for this year: March 1 through April 30 and Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.

White Castle, looking for a charity with a human connection, chose Long Island Cares. The slider chain's challenge is to raise $10,000 for the nonprofit, said Ana Palomino, a district manager at White Castle. Palomino noted that Long Island Cares is not just a food bank — it also runs food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and more.

"We love the fact that we are contributing to our own community and LIC is helping needed people nourishing their basic needs," Palomino told Patch.

Long Island Cares plans to use the funds from White Castle for food purchases that will help feed the 230,000 food-insecure people on Long Island, said Kaylin Peterson, the philanthropy manager at the nonprofit.

White Castle, Peterson said, is the "perfect model" for other food chains to emulate in giving back to their communities. The round-up method is a simple way to contribute to a charity, she said.

"Sometimes people might not have a dollar or two to give, but when you ask them to contribute a few cents, it might not sound like a lot, but it adds up!" Peterson said. "When you combine it with everyone else that contributes, before you know it, you have thousands, and that’s a wonderful thing. There are so many food establishments on Long Island, can you imagine if they each participated, even if it was just once? Food insecurity might have an end in sight."

Peterson is making her way to each of the 10 participating White Castles to give store managers and staff some background information on what Long Island Cares does to help those suffering from hunger.

"Each store manager was very enthusiastic about the program and were eager to help — it was really nice to see," Peterson said. "I have been having a great time getting to know them all. In fact, the first one that I went to in West Hempstead, wanted to get a food drive started in her location right away."

Each location Peterson visited has followed suit, requesting ways to get more involved.

Palomino called it "wonderful" that Long Island Cares has satellites in both counties on the island. The partnership is an opportunity for White Castle to bring awareness to what the nonprofit does, according to Palomino.

Food insecurity, she said, is an important topic because so many people lack access to sufficient food.

"For the past years, there has been an increase of people that have lost their jobs and an increase in families with a very low income that face food insecurity and don’t have the resources to feed their family," Palomino said. "It’s a great opportunity to partner with a charity like LIC to help people with hunger and in need."

In 2022, there was an "alarming" year-over-year increase in hunger and food insecurity on Long Island, Dr. Jessica Rosati, vice president of programs at Long Island Cares, previously told Patch.

Last year, Long Island Cares distributed 1,041,765 meals to 115,699 visitors, some of whom were repeats, at its five satellites across the island. In 2021, those numbers were 647,844 meals given to 73,896 visitors. The food bank handed out 60 percent more meals last year than in 2021.

Peter Crescenti, the media relations specialist at Long Island Cares, has joined Peterson in visiting the participating White Castles. The enthusiasm and passion of Crescenti and Peterson has been evident when they present their cause to the burger chain's staff and customers, Palomino said.

"Family inclusive is one of our company values as to demonstrate a willingness to help others through actions and attitude and is a reason why our team members are enthusiastic to show care and love for people," Palomino said.

Palomino oversees 10 of the 30 White Castles in the New York region.

White Castles participating in the fundraiser with Long Island Cares are:

• Nassau: Lynbrook, Hempstead and Massapequa.
• Suffolk: Commack, Farmingdale, Deer Park, and Centereach.
• Queens: Bayside, Queens Village, and Jamaica.

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.