COUNTY TIMES ROCKLAND
THURSDAY, MAY 5 — WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2022
P4
All in With JJ
Legislature Celebrates Local Nurses
www.rocklandtimes.com
P14
1
ROCKLAND’S WEEKLY JOURNAL
COUNTY TIMES ROCKLAND
ROCKLAND’S SOURCE FOR REAL NEWS SINCE 1888™
135th Year, No. 18
PUBLISHED WEEKLY - THURSDAY MAY 5 - WEDNESDAY MAY 11, 2022
From Seed to Supper: Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland hosts 11th annual Blessing of the Soil event
By Jess Warren
Rockland. We try to provide help and create hope to all of the residents of Rockland County regardless of their background,”said O’Connor. “We believe that nobody should be hungry, that everybody should have a safe place to sleep, and that they should live their lives in dignity.” Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland, The Warm Heart of Rockland, provides services to people of all ages, and from all over the County. The organization’s focus is to provide life necessities, including food, shelter, and other emergency assistance to those in need. They are always welcoming new volunteers on board. The staff speaks English, Spanish, and French Creole, and assists people of all ages, races, and religions in Rockland County. CCCSR also runs the Warming Center for Rockland County during the colder months. More information can be found at www.ccsrockland.org or by calling (845) 942-5791. Those wishing to support the organization can donate on the website or text CCROCKLAND TO 21000.
(Photo: Jess Warren) Picture of volunteers/attendees of the event
CCCSR’S sponsors of the event include: Montefiore | Nyack- tomato sponsor Hudson Valley EATS - lettuce sponsor Hood, Hood & Hood Law Firm - eggplant sponsor Drs. Joan and Tom Facelle - corn sponsors Kathy Kearns - pepper sponsor Eastern Planning Inc. - watering can sponsor New City Chiropractic Center - rake sponsor Also in attednace was the non- for-profit organization, Wonder Girls. Their group of volunteers had the chance to learn about the background of CCCSR with Dan Eudene, Executive Director of CCCSR and board member Susan O’Connor. “We continue to strive to be the warm heart of
Jones Visits Spring Valley MLK Center
On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Mondaire Jones (D-NY) visited his hometown of Spring Valley, to deliver $295,000 in funding for the Martin Luther King (MLK) Multi-Purpose Center. The MLK Center provides necessary community programs for adults and older adults, children, and families. For more than 40 years, the MLK Center has supported Rockland residents with programs that supply child care, healthcare, employment opportunities, food pantries and nutrition assistance, and general advocacy. The new funding will be used to transform a vacant lot in the village into to a safe and open community green space for children and adults.
$1.00
Stabbing at Spring Valley High School Three students were injured during a large fight at Spring Valley High School Friday afternoon, around the time of dismissal. Several police agencies responded to the scene of the Route 59 school. One student, 19-years-old, was reported to have been stabbed and was bleeding heavily. The student was transported to Westchester Medical Center for treatment and was listed in stable condition. A second student suffered lacerations, while a third sustained minor abrasions to the face after being punched. The two students with minor injuries are being treated in Rockland County hospitals. According to the East Ramapo Central School District, law enforcement took one suspect into custody at the scene and the investigation is continuing.
Hochul Names Antonio Delgado as New Running Mate
(Photo: Jess Warren)
Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland (CCCSR), also known as The Warm Heart of Rockland, just hosted their 11th annual Blessing of the Soil Event on Saturday, April 30 in Haverstraw. This was their first in person event since COVID-19 first hit in 2019. Monsignor Emmet R. Nevin, Vicar of Rockland and a member of the CCCSR Board of Directors, gave the blessing. CCCSR’S theme for the event this year was “From Seed to Supper”, as they were able to educate all attendees about how there operation is able to turn mere seedlings into produce that can feed countless people in need In attendance was Martha Robles, the previous Executive Director of CCCSR. CCCSR is a nonprofit home to one of the only greenhouses on the site of a food pantry in the northeast. For eleven years, they have fostered a large garden where staff and volunteers oversee the growing of fresh vegetables for families and individuals who access the food pantry all year long. Since then, three gardens in Rockland were constructed to successfully support our community food pantries with fresh produce. The gardens include the Garden of Love, located in Haverstraw, the Garden of Hope located at Good Samaritan Hospital and the Garden of Faith operated by St. Ann’s Parish and located at the Marydell Faith & Life Center in Nyack.
14 PAGES
Congressman Jones was joined by Lisa Kaess, co-president of the MLK Center Board of Directors, Nathan Mungin III, CEO of the MLK Center, Deborah Smith, co-president of the MLK Center Board of Directors, Tammy Goss, VP of the Spring Valley NAACP, and Rockland County Legislator Toney Earl. “Public outdoor spaces are essential for community-building, for gathering, for health, for wellness, for staying out of trouble, and for creating a sense of home outside the home. After months of advocating in Congress for funds for community projects in our district, I’m thrilled to deliver this essential funding to help the MLK Center create a much-needed Community Green,” said Congressman Jones. “I know that if my neighborhood in Spring Valley had a Community Green like the MLK Center will create with this funding, I would have been there. By bringing resources back to invest in our community, we can help right the institutional wrongs that have historically stripped Black and Brown communities of resources like this.” “It is tremendously gratifying to see this project, which dates back to 2016, become a reality. We so appreciate Congressman Jones’ efforts on behalf of the Beloved Community,” said Lisa Kaess, Co-President of the Board of Directors, Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center. Congressman Jones secured $8.2 million for nine community projects throughout Rockland and Westchester Counties in the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus package passed in March.
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced that she is naming Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY-19) to serve as Lieutenant Governor of New York, replacing disgraced former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin. The announcement was a palpable relief for a governor slated to share ballot with man facing multiple corruption charges Benjamin was arrested on April 12th on campaign finance charges, but due to a quirk in New York’s ballot laws would have remained on Hochul’s ticket for the upcoming primary election if not for a last minute amendment passed on Tuesday. “I am proud to appoint Antonio Delgado, an outstanding leader, and public servant, as Lieutenant Governor of New York, and I look forward to working with him to usher in a new era of fairness, equity, and prosperity for communities across the State,” Governor Hochul said. “New Yorkers deserve a Lieutenant Governor who’s working day and night to make lives better for working people and their families,” Representative Delgado said. Delgado had previously been campaigning for re-election to Congress against Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. A native of Upstate New York, Representative Delgado grew up in Schenectady and lives in Rhinebeck with his wife, Lacey, and their twin eight-year-old sons, Maxwell and Coltrane. He attended Colgate University and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. Then, he received a law degree from Harvard Law School, where he met Lacey. He lived in New York City for several years as a young lawyer. Delgado was first elected to Congress in 2018. Representative Delgado is the Chairman of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit, and he serves on the House Small Business and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees.
Over $450,000 Awarded to Rockland NonProfits
Food pantries and feeding programs throughout the United States have been in high demand since the beginning of the pandemic. Rockland has not been immune to this national trend and locally there has been a constant need for food assistance. Many agencies have reported serving triple the amount of people since the pandemic started, as well as hundreds of new families with no end in sight. In response to this ongoing crisis, the United Way of Rockland County awarded $450,103 to help expand the capacity of seventeen emergency food and shelter programs throughout our community, such as People to People, Catholic Charities of Rockland, and the Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center. “Our local feeding programs and shelters have been working above their normal maximum capacity since March 2020. It is our hope that this funding can help them accomplish their mission to help Rocklanders in need,” said Stephen Papas, President & CEO of United Way of Rockland. If you or someone close to you are in need of emergency food or shelter, call 211 today to find a pantry or shelter near you. Information is also available online at https:// www.211hudsonvalley.org/
ATLANTIS USA
Paver Patios and Full Yard
(845) 623-4734