DAN’S PAPERS
danshamptons.com
December 14, 2012 Page 39
NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by kelly laffey
East End LGBT Center Local Food Pantries Need Our Help May Come to College EAST END: Thanks
SPCA on the Hunt to Save Impaled Goose NOYAC: The Suffolk County SPCA was forced to rescind a $1,000 reward offer for info leading to the arrest and conviction of an unidentified person who impaled a Canada goose with an arrow in Noyac. Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross said he’s still appalled by the act of animal cruelty, but he has learned that bow hunting is not illegal as long as hunters have the proper licenses and tags. A local resident observed and photographed the injured goose alive near Sag Harbor Cove and Long Beach Road, then reported it to the SPCA. Wildlife Rescue is currently trying to find the bird. “It’s going to die a slow, agonizing death unless it’s captured and helped or humanely euthanized,” said Gross Gross has asked anyone who sees the goose or has information about the shooter to call the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722.
to East End pantries and their supporters, fewer families are going hungry during the holiday season. But this year, many of the resources at these charitable organizations were needed for victims of Superstorm Sandy. With much media attention on those hardest hit in Queens and elsewhere upisland, area food pantries took a bit of a hit. “A lot of pantries out here are in bad shape,” said Barbara Wolfram, vice president of the Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry in an interview right after Thanksgiving. “We had a great response for the holiday but need to replenish before the next.” Nonperishable foods, such as canned foods, peanut butter, macaroni, pasta sauce and rice, as well as cash donations, are welcome. Many pantries are also in need of bigger meal items such as hams, pork roast and chicken. “Our demands have been up as expected after the storm. Many families in this community were hit hard,” said Tara Larkin-Fredericks, director of special projects for the Helping Hands of the East End in Riverhead. “Normally, we always need even more support in the winter.” For more information: Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry, First Presbyterian Church on Union Street, www.sagharborfoodpantry.com. East Hampton Food Pantry: 219-50 Accabonac Road or St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Amagansett, 631-324-2300 Helping Hands of the East End, 1380 Roanoke Avenue, Riverhead, 631-471-7242 ext 1429
East Hampton Polar Bears to Take the Plunge at Atlantic Ave AMAGANSETT: The annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge will take place at Atlantic Avenue Beach in Amagansett for 2013. Due to damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, organizers announced last month that the East Hampton Polar Bear Plunge would not return to Main Beach, its home for the past two years. Atlantic Beach was chosen as the substitute site because of its ample parking. Each year on January 1, the plunge draws hundreds of festively costumed participants, who storm the beach and leap into the icy surf to raise money for food pantries. “We had 250 plungers last year, and we’re hoping for even more this year,” says Gabrielle Scarpaci, the Executive Director of the East Hampton Food Pantry. “The money will all be distributed to East End food pantries.” All plungers must contribute a minimum of $25 to participate. The plunge starts at 1 p.m., but those who choose to brave the frigid Atlantic can register beginning at 11:30 a.m. Coffee, hot chocolate and soup will be provided after the daring ordeal. “We’ve been fortunate to have some really great weather for the past few years, and people have been able to just hang around the beach after they plunge,” says Scarpaci. “We’re really looking forward to the event this year.” For more information, visit easthamptonfoodpantry.org. Bjorn Soderquist/Flickr
SOUTHAMPTON: Talks on providing a support center for the area gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community are focusing in on Stony Brook Southampton as a possible permanent location. The East End GLBT Center Advisory Committee recently met at Bridgehampton National Bank’s Bridgehampton location, and the feasibility of having a center at Stony Brook Southampton was discussed. Ideally, the community center would feature two full-time staff members to provide a safe haven for GLBT men and women and also people who champion their cause. Providing a center for the local GLBT community has gained urgency in recent months, as an East Hampton teenager took his life in September, allegedly after being bullied over his sexual orientation. GLBT services are in place upisland, but the East End is decidedly devoid of a space for those that identify with the GLBT movement.
Check out danshamptons.com for more East End news.
Ellen Cea Named to Board of Maureen’s Haven RIVERHEAD: Ellen Cea, Director of Tenant and Community Development at Rechler Equity Partners, Long Island’s largest commercial real estate company, has been named to the board of directors of Maureen’s Haven, a human service organization based in Riverhead that provides shelter, meals and training to homeless adults and families throughout the North and South Forks. “We are pleased and honored to welcome Ellen to our board,” Maureen’s Haven Executive Director Tracey Lutz said during the announcement on Monday. “She and Rechler Equity Partners are supporters of Maureen’s Haven and understand the critical role played by private industry in helping our group to fulfill its mission. As a result of the slow economy and more recently, Superstorm Sandy, the demand for our services has never been greater. I’m confident Ellen’s enthusiasm and business knowledge will make a real difference on the board and throughout our network.” At Rechler Equity Partners, Cea’s primary focus is to oversee marketing and tenant development at the Hampton Business District at Gabreski, a 55-acre, state-of-the-art business park being developed by Rechler Equity at Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach. The project is expected to break ground early next year. “Rechler Equity has a long history of supporting not-forprofits across Nassau and Suffolk but particularly in the communities where the company is active,” explained Cea. To learn more about Maureen’s Haven, visit www.maureenshaven. org. More information on the Hampton Business District is available at hamptonbusinessdistrict.com.