Friday, March 29, 2019
Vol. 79, No. 12
$1
SERVING PLAINVIEW, HICKSVILLE, AND LEVITTOWN
Rescue organization helps Long Islanders in need
PI DAY CELEBRATION
BY GARY SIMEONE
Staff members at Jonas E. Salk Middle School helped to celebrate Pi Day (March 14th) with a pie eating contest. Staff members had to eat as many pies as possible in a three minute period. See page 8.
Town plans Salute to Seniors luncheon
The Town of Oyster Bay will host a luncheon to celebrate the seniors of the community at a Salute to Senior Luncheon at the Crest Hollow Country Club, located at 8325 Jericho Turnpike, in Woodbury. The event, which is sponsored by the Town’s Department of Community and Youth Services, Division of Senior Services, will take place on Tuesday, May 7, and will be open to both residents and non-residents of the Town. “The Town’s Senior Division of our Department of Community and Youth Services offers our
residents many great activities, spread out at various Town facilities throughout the year. These activities can help seniors stay active, healthy, and engaged,” Supervisor Saladino said. “I invite our senior residents to take full advantage of the full slate offered by our Senior Division, especially our Salute to Senior Luncheon, which has proven to be one of the most popular events we host in the Town each year.” The Salute to Seniors Luncheon will be held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Tuesday, May 7. The trip,
which will cost $45 per person for residents and $55 per person for non-residents, includes a luncheon and entertainment, valet parking, and Town bus transportation (if required). The registration deadline is April 2, and checks should be made payable to “TOB Senior Trips.” For more information on the Senior Summer Program, residents should call the Division of Senior Citizens Services at 516797-7939, or visit www.oysterbaytown.com.
The word is Hatzilu, and in the Hebrew language, it means to rescue someone. For hundreds of Nassau County residents in need, that is exactly what the Mid Island Y JCC-based Hatzilu Rescue Organization does. Sara Shapiro, adult director at the Y and executive director of the Hatzilu Organization, said that the volunteer non-profit has been catering to struggling individuals and families since its inception in 1976. “The organization was created as a response from Jewish groups, such as synagogues and youth clubs, who became aware of the number of Jewish people in Nassau County who were in need,” said Shapiro, a licensed clinical social worker. “Our goal is to provide financial and food assistance to people and maintain the dignity of Jews who have fallen on hard times due to a loss in the family, health situation or unemployment.” She said that the organization caters to approximately 70 individuals and families who are in need of financial assistance, and 175 individuals and families who are dealing with food insecurity. Referrals are made through multiple community organizations, social workers, rabbis, synagogues and other Jewish community centers in Nassau County. “The community centers usually have a social worker involved and keeping track of these people, which helps on a more global platform between the JCC’s and their clients,” said Shapiro. She added that each community center has established a social welfare committee, which meets on a monthly basis to discuss individual cases. The organization’s sole purpose is to help people who are struggling for a short period of time to help them get back on their feet. This is not always the case though, as many of the clients have a tough time regaining employment or are too physically or emotionally ill to find work. “Sometimes a person’s or a family’s situation is not always changeable, so we try to provide them with financial assistance for as long as we can.” See page 5
Levittown Fire Dept. Installation Dinner PAGE 4 Seniors selected as scholarship finalist PAGE 10