By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
January 30, 2014-The Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), the largest league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), has donated 1,130 pounds of food to Long Island Cares, Inc., The Harry Chapin Food Bank. The food was collected through donations by players, parents, coaches and spectators during the LIJSL Food Drive at the Peter Collins Soccer Park on Old Country Road in Plainview throughout the 2013 Fall Season.
“On behalf of all of the children and families served by Long Island Cares, Elana Sissons, Food Drive Coordinator, and I are truly grateful for your support,” said Paule Pachter, Executive Director of Long Island Cares. “This donation will go a long way towards ensuring that more Long Island children and families do not go hungry.”
Long Island Cares has distributed more than six million pounds of food to over 500 member agencies across Long Island but also seeks to heighten public awareness about hunger and provides skills training to foster self-sufficiency among the population. Founded by singer Happy Chapin in 1980, a year before his untimely passing, their mission is a hunger-free Long Island.
“The Long Island Junior Soccer League is proud to partner with Long Island Cares in their fight against hunger,” said LIJSL President Addie Mattei-Iaia. “We are so grateful to all of our clubs, teams, players and families for their generosity. They have shown time and again that they are willing to go above and beyond, not only to be the best players they can be on the field, but to be the best people they can be off it.”
The LIJSL will be holding another food drive during the 2014 Spring Season. Donations will be accepted in the food collection barrels at the entrance to the Collins Soccer Park for games being played there starting on March 29 and concluding in June.
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.