With some estimates counting more than 218,000 food-insecure Long Islanders, including 80,000 children, the Herculean efforts of Chief Executive Officer Paule Pachter and his team at Long Island Cares-The Harry Chapin Food Bank cannot be overstated.

The former deputy commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Mental Health, who earned a master’s degree in social work from Adelphi University, heads a massive rescue mission that annually manages millions of dollars in private and corporate donations and distributes more than 16 million pounds of food to children, seniors and veterans, among others in need.

In today’s conversation, Paule joins Spark host Gregory Zeller to discuss 40 years of innovation at Long Island’s first food bank, as well as the regional community’s endless generosity and the comprehensive logistical effort required by late philanthropist Harry Chapin’s vision of a hunger-free Long Island.