White Castle Raises $21K For Long Island Cares, Food Insecurity

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Ten White Castle locations across Long Island and Queens raised $21,189 to help Long Island Cares combat food insecurity and hunger, the food bank announced.

Customers were asked to round their bills up to the nearest dollar October through December.

"I’m blown away, honestly," Kaylin Peterson, corporate philanthropy manager at Long Island Cares, told Patch. "They continue to amaze me with their hustle, but more importantly their commitment to fighting food insecurity is inspiring."

Peterson thanked all customers of White Castle who participated.

"If it wasn’t for your kindness, the round up program wouldn’t be as successful as it is," she said.

Ana Palomino, the district supervisor of the participating White Castles, said she is "very proud" of her team's accomplishment.

"Asking customers to round up their bills on a daily basis is a big effort and challenge for our team members," Palomino said. "However, they do it without hesitation because they believe in the great cause behind it. They know that this effort can help so many people in need."

White Castle felt a "great responsibility" to give back to their team members and community, Palomino said.

"Food insecurity is a major issue that often results from poverty and has a big impact on children," she said. "Therefore, it is impossible to ignore it. WC provided an opportunity to give back to the community. This is one way to show how much WC cares about humanity and how important it is to support people. By giving back to the community, WC feels like we are making a difference, which is why team members are proud to participate in the round-up program."

The White Castle in Farmingdale raised $4,231, the most of any participating stores.

Coath Lopez, general manager of the Farmingdale White Castle, said it has been "an honor" to join forces with Long Island Cares.

"I am very proud of the work we have done to help feed hungry people in Long Island," Lopez said. "The team in Farmingdale is very happy to support others and demonstrate how White Castle embraces family inclusivity with our communities."

Lopez said the Farmingdale team asked every single customer to round up their change.

"The key was the great customer service that White Castle provided and creating memorable moments every day, so people were happy to participate and make this a success," Lopez said. "White Castle is making positive impacts in the community through volunteering and charitable giving. We are so happy to contribute with Long Island Cares and help to feed so many more people."

The Deer Park location raised the second most in Suffolk at $4,032, while Massapequa raised the most in Nassau County with $1,358. The Bayside store raised the most in Queens with $3,138.

White Castle raised more than $14K for Long Island Cares last summer and launched another round on Friday.

Palomino said she is "very pleased" to have selected Long Island Cares as her stores' charity of choice.

"It is located within our community, and I can see that we are making a difference by helping so many people who are in need in our local area," Palomino said. "It feels great to know that we are contributing to the betterment of our community."

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.