_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD GIFT and DINING GUIDE November 25, 2021
$1.00
Inside: Best of the holiday season
Vol. 56 No. 48
Red-Ribbon Week comes to schools
Message for the season of giving
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NoVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 1, 2021
JCC women adapt to Covid with Zoom “It’s a sweet group, and what I love about it is that they’ve been consistently meeting, and they Zoom meetings transformed form these friendships that they the way millions of people com- didn’t have before,” Charschan municated during the coronavi- said. “They talk about women’s rus pandemic, and the Ocean- issues and current event topics, side JCC Zoom is still connecting and the beautiful thing about it members who wish is that since Covid to enjoy one anothstarted, they were er’s company virtumeeting on Zoom ally. right away . . .People Members of the who are still at home Barry & Florence can Zoom in and join Friedberg Jewish the discussion so Community Center nobody is really left have met in person home alone. for months, but the “They feel a part JCC’s Women’s Talk of things if the group still follows a weather is bad if hy b r i d m e e t i n g they’re not feeling model, allowing cerlike going out,” she tain group members continued. “The join in discussions who go lIsa ChaRsCaN snowbirds by Zoom. down to Florida can T h e w o m e n ’ s JCC director now Zoom in and group has met at the talk as well. So we’re JCC for nine years, giving older really not losing membership women in the community a time because they are still being to socialize and share engaging active without physically coming discussions in a morning talk. into the building.” Lisa Charschan, the JCC’s The discussion for the week director of adult services, said fit the holiday theme as the the Zoom meetings are invalu- group engaged in a conversation able for connecting members, on gratitude. Many group memparticularly those who are bers expressed gratitude for unable to leave their homes during the pandemic. Continued on page 16
By KEphERD DaNIEl kdaniel@liherald.com
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Kepherd Daniel/Herald
MEga BusINEss systEMs and The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing brought holiday cheer with free turkeys for Island Park families.
Mega Business Systems hosts Island Park turkey drive By KEphERD DaNIEl kdaniel@liherald.com
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches each year, many Island Park businesses share in the giving spirit, offering free meals and food to those in the community. On Nov. 17, Mega Business Systems and The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at South Point collaborated to give away 100 turkeys and Thanksgiving pies to families in Island Park. Vouchers were
supplied by Sacred Heart and Full Gospel churches for individuals to stop by Mega Business Systems, an office equipment supplier on Long Beach Road in Island Park, to collect one free turkey each. MBS owner Michael Barrett compared this year’s Thanksgiving season to 2020. “Last year we had about 80 turkeys, and that was on short notice,” he said. “This year we actually went to Jandil farm and picked the turkeys up directly. We didn’t
want to just hand them off to the churches. We wanted to interact with the community.” Leftover turkeys were given to the local sponsoring churches. Along with the Sacred Heart and Full Gospel churches, MBS had other sponsors that aided in putting together the turkey drive. “We had individual sponsors that donated money to help us get all the turkeys as well,” Barrett said. “Olivia Miller, a Continued on page 16
hey’ve been consistently meeting, and they form these friendships that they didn’t have before.