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September 15, 2022
Empowering a brighter future
HERALD Higher Education
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VOL. 87 NO. 38
Island Choice Awards • Long Nomination Guide
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Inside SEPTEMBER 15 - 21, 2022
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Recent surge at Freeport food pantry ability to sustain their food needs and (ensure) that their families have access, consistent access to With no end in sight to infla- nutritious foods.” tion, Long Island Cares’ Freeport Long Island Cares has been a food pantry has had a significant beacon of hope for residents trysurge in the number of local resi- ing to make ends meet since it dents seeking assistance. established its first satellite facilLong Island Cares saw a 90 ity in Freeport in July 2010. percent increase in the number Roughly 100 families visit the of people needing facility each day, help feeding their making it the busiest families over the of the nonprofit past year compared organizations’ satelwith the previous lite locations. year. Freeport had Long Island Cares the greatest increase embarked on a numof the agency’s five ber of new program pantries. initiatives since 2008, Chief Program DR. JESSICA and it now works as Officer Dr. Jessica a humanitarian ROSATI Rosati, who oversees organization as well Freeport and the Chief program as a food bank. four satellite loca- officer, L.I. Cares The organization tions, said there are was recognized on many reasons for the numerous occasions increase in the number of people by the national hunger-relief using the pantry. organization Feeding America as “We’re seeing, in the past cou- a non-traditional food bank that ple of months, because of infla- incorporates direct service modtion and employment fluctuating els of programming to expand and things like that — kiddos both its capacity and distribution going back to school — all of the of emergency food, while focusstate waivers are now ending ing more on people’s needs than because people are returning to on tons of food distributed. pre-Covid measures that are Rosati has some notions impacting Long Island families,” regarding what has increased the Rosati said, “It’s impacting their CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
By MOHAMED FARGHALY mfarghaly@liherald.com
H
unger is the shame of America.
Courtesy Tim Russer
RUSSER REPRESENTED THE Air Force in Congress as an enlisted legislative fellow.
Timothy Russer, village native and chief master sgt., retires By MOHAMED FARGHALY mfarghaly@liherald.com
After 24 years of service, Freeport native, Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Lloyd Russer has retired from the District of Columbia Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force with the highest enlisted rank. Within the Air National Guard and United States Air Force, he attained the rank where only 1 percent of all enlisted members of the Air Force may occupy the pay grade of E-9 at any given time, making his chief master sergeant selection exceptionally difficult. As demonstrated by his stellar career and promotion to the highest enlisted level of leadership,
Russer exemplifies the best attributes of a military leader. “My colleagues might criticize the way that I’ve bounced around a lot and didn’t kind of take the traditional way of kind of building a career,” he said. “I think it has more prepared me for life after wearing the uniform than if I had stayed in one career field and just become an expert in that one thing. I almost took a very generalist approach and was able to see the world, understand how the government works and pick up some skills along the way.” Russer earned a New York State Regents diploma from Freeport High School in 1995. Growing up, he was involved within his comCONTINUED ON PAGE 4