By GREGORY ZELLER //
A first-class hunger-relief effort is wheels-up at John F. Kennedy International Airport, with a Long Island-based national retailer behind the stick.
Valley Stream-based International Shoppes – a duty-free specialty retailer operating in five U.S. international airports, including JFK – has partnered with Island Harvest Food Bank and City Harvest to support hunger relief around the sprawling, Queens-based international airport.
Customers shopping at International Shoppes locations in JFK terminals can now add anywhere from $1 to $8 to their purchase total, with the proceeds split between the two food banks, which provide assistance to food-insecure clients across Long Island and New York City.
While the two organizations take different approaches – City Harvest is a “food rescue” group that collects fresh leftovers from restaurants and other locations and distributes them to food pantries and soup kitchens, while Island Harvest is more of a traditional food bank – they’re both on a mission to eradicate food insecurity.
Randi Shubin Dresner: Crucial effort.
And they’ll both benefit greatly from the new charity effort, according to Island Harvest President and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner, who noted that “hunger knows no borders.”
“We are pleased to partner with our friends at City Harvest and International Shoppes in addressing the growing hunger problem in communities throughout the Greater New York area, especially among working families,” Dresner said. “We are grateful to the enlightened leadership of International Shoppes for their caring and generosity in helping come up with innovative solutions to help tackle a crucial societal issue.”
With the cost of living spiraling, including housing and grocery costs, both charities are reporting an increase in food-assistance demand among low-wage working families.
Enter International Shoppes, which was founded in 1951 and now maintains operations at Dulles International Airport in Washington, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland, Bradley International Airport in Connecticut and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Texas, in addition to storefronts inside three JFK terminals.
Offering top-shelf booze (from $1,000 bottles of cognac to an international assortment of wines), iconic fashion labels (Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani and more), gourmet chocolates, top perfumes/colognes and dozens of other brands popular among one-percenters, International Shoppes is all about decadent luxury (plus chips, mints and gum for the rest of us).
But after seven decades of success, the business won’t turn a blind eye to those who can’t afford a decent meal, let alone a $5,000 bottle of 30-year-old Macallan, noted International Shoppes co-CEO Matt Greenbaum.
“Beyond our shared goal of fundraising to support these essential initiatives, we aspire to assist JFK airport-area employees who may be facing food insecurity challenges,” Greenbaum said. “We aim to extend a helping hand to them and their families and offer the support they may require.
“Together with City Harvest and Island Harvest, International Shoppes is determined to positively impact the lives of those affected by food insecurity in the JFK airport community,” the co-CEO added.
Noting a food-insecurity spike since the COVID pandemic, City Harvest CEO Jilly Stephens applauded “the generosity of International Shoppes and their participating customers” and said the fundraising initiative lands not a moment too soon.
“We will be able to rescue and deliver more nutritious food for New Yorkers in need,” Stephens said in a statement. “This support comes as visits to soup kitchens and food pantries are up 65 percent over pre-pandemic levels.
“Together with our friends at Island Harvest and International Shoppes, we will help feed our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.”
