PSEG Employees, Island Harvest Attempt To Break World Record

A group of PSEG Long Island employees recently helped the Island Harvest Food Bank set a world record to help end hunger.

Gary Kintzel of Patchogue and a group of coworkers attempted to break the Guinness World Record for longest line of hunger-relief packages.

The group assembled 1,805 packages end-to-end on pallets throughout Island Harvest’s Hauppauge collection and distribution center. When all the packs were placed, they measured 1,164 feet in length, snaking around the warehouse.

“I am so proud of our partnership with Island Harvest, and our employee volunteers who help this organization pack food in its warehouses throughout the year,” said Daniel Eichhorn, president and COO, PSEG Long Island and Island Harvest board member. “We are hopeful that this attempt to break the record will be deemed a success. Either way, the people of Long Island win because of the vital services Island Harvest provides to Long Islanders every day.”

To be eligible for the world record, the packs had to touch each other, and once the bag was placed, it could not be touched or picked up. The entire attempt had to be videotaped, and a judge was on hand for the entire three hours.

Guinness will announce whether this attempt successfully beat the existing record of 1,000 packs.

“Thanks to our friends at PSEG Long Island, we not only likely broke a world record, but we were able to highlight the issue of childhood hunger on Long Island,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. “Nassau and Suffolk counties are home to some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the country, and there is simply no reason for any child here on Long Island, or across the U.S., should go without something as basic as food.”

The food packs used were distributed through Island Harvest Food Bank’s Kids Weekend Backpack Feeding Program, which provides supplemental food support for schoolchildren who rely on their school’s breakfast and lunch programs, but often don’t have enough to eat over the weekend.

During the 2017-18 school year, Island Harvest’s Kids Weekend Backpack Feeding Program distributed 64,000 food packs, supplementing 256,000 meals, to 1,800 kids in 29 schools across 12 school districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties.