What Island Harvest does

Island Harvest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hunger-relief organization founded in 1992 and headquartered in Melville, New York. It serves as the primary food bank for Long Island, collecting and distributing 18-21 million pounds of food annually through a network of more than 300 member agencies across Nassau and Suffolk counties, reaching over 240,000 food-insecure residents. Operations span direct distribution, Mobile Markets, nutrition education, SNAP assistance, and targeted programs for children, seniors, and veterans.

The organization supplements traditional food-bank sourcing with in-house production through the 1.8-acre Healthy Harvest Farm, 50 community Giving Gardens, and 16 seed libraries, while running the Workforce Skills Development Institute as an adjacent workforce program. Distribution scaled from 18.3 million pounds in 2024 to a record 21 million pounds in 2025, with 19,500 volunteers mobilized in 2024. The business model is donation-based: revenue is a mix of individual giving, corporate sponsorships (40+ sponsors including Fidelis Care, Stop & Shop, National Grid, JPMorgan Chase, PSEG, M&T), and government grants from Nassau County ($100K emergency funding) and Suffolk County ($250K Nourish Suffolk). Island Harvest is a member of Feeding America and holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating.

There is no technology platform or AI/ML component to the model; the operation is logistics- and community-driven. In August 2024, Brian R. Leidy was appointed Chief Development Officer following the July 2024 passing of founder Linda Breitstone, a transition that introduces key-person risk on the fundraising side but appears to have been actively managed through senior fundraising hires and deepened corporate and government relationships.

Name

Island Harvest

Legal name

Island Harvest Food Bank

Website

https://islandharvest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Island Harvest is a Long Island nonprofit food bank that distributes 18-21 million pounds of food annually through 300+ member agencies, serving 240,000+ food-insecure residents across Nassau and Suffolk counties via direct distribution, Mobile Markets, and programs for children, seniors, and veterans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief and Food Banking Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food distribution services
• Community food assistance
• Food rescue operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Melville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Financial contributions from individual donors, both one-time and recurring. Every $1 donated supports 2 meals.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Support from corporate partners including National Grid (presenting sponsor), JPMorgan Chase (lead sponsor), Stop & Shop, and approximately 40 additional corporations for events like Stamp Out Hunger.
3. Government Food Programs: Participation in federal nutrition programs including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC, CSFP (Commodity Supplemental Food Program), TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), and state programs like HPNAP and Nourish New York.
4. Planned Giving: Estate planning and legacy giving programs allowing donors to support the organization beyond their lifetime.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Island Harvest is a Long Island-based nonprofit food bank that collects, stores, and distributes food to food-insecure residents across Nassau and Suffolk counties. The organization operates a network of 300+ member agency partners, runs direct food distribution programs including mobile markets, and administers federal nutrition programs such as SNAP outreach, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Additional offerings include workforce development, nutrition education, a regenerative farm, and community gardens.

Product overview

Island Harvest Food Bank operates as a comprehensive hunger relief and food banking organization serving Long Island, New York. The organization functions as a network-based food bank with a core infrastructure of over 300 member agency partners across Nassau and Suffolk counties. The primary offering is food collection and distribution through multiple channels including direct distributions, mobile markets, and partner pantry support. The portfolio includes specialized programs targeting vulnerable populations: children (Summer Food Service Program), seniors (Commodity Supplemental Food Program with monthly food boxes), and veterans. Innovative programs include the Healthy Harvest Farm (1.8-acre regenerative organic farm producing culturally diverse produce) and the Workforce Skills Development Institute (job training to address root causes of hunger). Additional programs encompass SNAP application assistance, nutrition education (Nutrition Pathways to Health), food rescue, community gardens (Giving Gardens with 50 gardens and 16 seed libraries), and advocacy. Signature events include the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive (nation's largest single-day food collection in partnership with NALC/USPS) and the Power to Feed food drive (partnership with PSEG). The organization is a member of Feeding America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Every $1 donated supports 2 meals
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• National GridflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 May 2026Presenting sponsor for the 2026 Stamp Out Hunger food drive. National Grid provides lead sponsorship supporting the nation's largest single-day food collection campaign on Long Island.
• JPMorgan ChaseflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 May 2026Lead sponsor for Stamp Out Hunger food drive, supporting food collection efforts and helping ensure Long Islanders have access to nutritious food.
• National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 May 2025Annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive partnership - the nation's largest single-day food collection campaign. Letter carriers collect food donations from mailboxes and deliver to Island Harvest for distribution across Long Island.
• United States Postal Service (USPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 May 2025Partnership with local postal workers and USPS infrastructure to enable the Stamp Out Hunger annual food drive, leveraging the postal delivery network to collect food donations from residents.
• FourLeaf Federal Credit UnioncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 May 2025Annual FourLeaf Turkey Drive organizer - Long Island's largest one-day food drive collecting turkeys, food, and donations for Island Harvest during Thanksgiving season.
• Sisters of St. JosephcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2024Catholic religious order providing 212-acre parcel of land for Island Harvest's Healthy Harvest Farm. Donated 27 new fruit trees and bushes including Asian pear, nectarine, and blueberry bushes.
• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsland Harvest is a member of Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger relief organization. This membership provides access to national resources, research data (including Map the Meal Gap studies), best practices, and collective advocacy for food assistance programs.
• Stop & ShopcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner donating over $200,000 to Island Harvest. Partnership includes food drives, community events, and employee volunteer programs to support hunger relief efforts.
• Nassau County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partnership including $100K emergency funding to help food banks amid SNAP uncertainty and declared state of emergency to combat food insecurity.
• Suffolk County GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner"Nourish Suffolk County" $250K initiative to help fight food insecurity and support Suffolk farmers through partnerships with local food banks.
• IPRO HealthcaresupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Stamp Out Hunger food drive and Island Harvest's hunger relief efforts on Long Island.
• PSEG Long IslandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Power to Feed Long Island food collection drive, a 5th annual partnership supporting food donations across Long Island communities.
• Senator Steve RhoadssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York State Senator hosting annual Freedom Food Drive in partnership with Island Harvest, including Girl Scouts and community volunteers to support local food pantries.
• Branches Long IslandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial services organization in Middle Island helping people in need access food assistance from Island Harvest's food distribution programs.
• 50 Giving GardenssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity gardens across Long Island producing food to supply local food pantries, supported by Island Harvest through training, seeds, and technical assistance.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Long Island Cares: Long Island Cares is the other major food bank serving Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties), directly competing with Island Harvest for corporate sponsorships, member agency partners, volunteer labor, and federal program funding in the same geography.

Regional players

• City Harvest: New York City's largest food rescue organization. Highly comparable food-bank model (collection, distribution, mobile markets, nutrition education) but operates in NYC rather than Long Island, so it is a structural rather than direct competitor.
• Food Bank For New York City: Feeding America member food bank serving New York City with the same business model — federal-program participation, member-agency pantries, SNAP outreach — and therefore directly comparable in operations even though its territory is adjacent rather than overlapping.
• Capital Area Food Bank: Regional Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving the Washington, DC metro with comparable programs including distribution, nutrition education, SNAP outreach, and a Pounds distributed metric — strong operational analogue in a different metro.
• Philabundance: Food bank serving the Delaware Valley / Greater Philadelphia with a comparable agency-network, direct-distribution, and federal-program participation model. Operates in a different geography but is one of the closest mid-Atlantic comparable food banks.
• Foodbank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties (Second Harvest): Silicon Valley / Bay Area food bank with a comparable scale and program mix (member agency network, direct distribution, nutrition education, CalFresh/SNAP outreach) that benchmarks against Island Harvest's poundage and beneficiary counts.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida: Feeding America member serving Central Florida with parallel programs including child summer feeding, senior CSFP-style support, agency network, and large signature food drives — comparable operating model at greater scale than Island Harvest.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella that Island Harvest is a member of. Feeding America is the sector's dominant incumbent, providing shared infrastructure (Map the Meal Gap data, USDA pass-through, advocacy) and effectively setting the operating playbook for member food banks.

Emerging players

• Food Rescue US: National direct-food-rescue nonprofit focused on surplus food recovery from restaurants and grocers to nonprofits — directly comparable to Island Harvest's founding Food Rescue Program and Giving Gardens, though organized as volunteer-driver logistics rather than warehouse food banking.

Others

• WhyHunger: National nonprofit supporting a grassroots network of hunger-relief and food justice organizations with a hotline, resource database, and grantmaking. Functionally adjacent because Island Harvest's advocacy and SNAP-outreach work feeds into (and benefits from) the same national coalition WhyHunger coordinates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/islandharvest
• Facebookfacebook.com/islandharvest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/island-harvest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Island Harvest