East Meadow Native And Patriots OL Rich Ohrnberger Returns To LI To Help Those In Need Enjoy A Warm Holiday Meal
December 28, 2009
(East Meadow, N.Y.)—East Meadow native and Penn State graduate Rich Ohrnberger is known for his natural talents as a guard and his ability to make his teammates laugh. One thing Rich takes seriously however, is his responsibility to give back to his community and help others. That sense of generosity was evident this week as the New England Patriots OL returned to his hometown donating 250 turkeys to Island Harvest to help local families in need enjoy a warm holiday meal with all the trimmings — just in time for Christmas.
Rich, who was drafted earlier this year by the Patriots, was joined by the current East Meadow High School football team, the Jets, in offloading the frozen turkeys along with trimmings boxes, containing all the necessary items to complete the holiday meal. The food was then distributed to local agencies to get it to those who otherwise would have had little or nothing to celebrate this year.
Not only bound by a sense of duty to offer assistance to those who may have fallen on hard times, Ohrnberger also wants to instill that responsibility to the younger student athletes. “I wanted to give back to the community and at the same time get the EMHS football team interested in getting on board, too,” said Ohrnberger, a two-time all-county, all-metro and All-Long Island pick. “I couldn’t be more touched that these guys were eager to participate in helping those less fortunate enjoy a turkey dinner in time for Christmas.”
“Rich’s generosity is heartwarming,” says Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, herself a lifelong East Meadow resident. “Not just taking the time out of a busy schedule during the pro football season, but to encourage the younger students to get involved is inspiring.”
Rich was joined at the event by longtime Island Harvest supporter and former New York Jet standout, John Schmitt, who was a member of the Jets’ winning Super Bowl III team. Schmitt, a Long Island native who played college football for Hofstra, also offered words of encouragement to the young athletes, as they passed around Schmitt’s Super Bowl ring to marvel.
About Island Harvest:
Fighting hunger and touching lives, Island Harvest serves as the bridge between those who have surplus food and those who need it, supplying hundreds of community-based nonprofit organizations on Long Island with critical food support to help stem the advancing tide of hunger in our communities. Island Harvest has delivered more than 60 million pounds of food, supplementing nearly 47 million meals, since its inception in 1992. In support of its mission to end hunger and reduce food waste on Long Island, the organization is actively involved in educational and hunger awareness programs to inform the public about the insidious but often unrecognized problem of hunger here, in one of the wealthiest regions of the country, and how individuals, businesses, schools and commercial food establishments can make a difference. Island Harvest is a member of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest). For more information about Island Harvest, visit www.islandharvest.org or call 516-294-8528.
Photo: Coaches and players from the EMHS Jets with EM native and New England Patriots OL Rich Ohrnberger (far right) and Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest.
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Sports
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