January 11, 2023 Islip

Elderly Army Veteran Has Wish For Restaurant Gift Cards Granted

Ron Matonti, a resident of Medford, New York, had his wish for restaurant gift cards granted, thanks to the Long Island chapter of national nonprofit Twilight Wish Foundation. Matonti is an Army veteran who has congenital heart failure and is homebound. Because of this, he relies mostly on canned foods that are delivered to him from a local food pantry. His wish is to receive restaurant and food delivery gift cards so that he can order fresh food instead of just eating canned foods.

Matonti was nominated by Melanie Corinne, the project coordinator for the Joseph Dwyer Peer Support Project in Suffolk County. Long Island Chapter Director James Ciervo and Corinne delivered the gift card basket to Matonti on Friday, December 17th at his Medford home.

Twilight Wish Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization whose mission is to honor and enrich the lives of seniors through intergenerational Twilight

Wish celebrations. Since its founding in 2003, Twilight Wish has granted over 4,810 individual wishes to seniors throughout the U.S. Twilight Wish grants wishes to seniors who are 65 and older or a permanent resident of a nursing home and earn less than 200% of poverty level. If you would like to nominate a deserving senior or get involved with Twilight Wish, please visit the website at www. twilightwish.org or call 215-230-8777 ext. 104.

Fundraiser To Support East Islip St. Patrick’s Day Parade Is Set

The Local Hibernians Inc. are pleased to announce that the annual John P. Reilly East Islip St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on Sunday, March 5, 2023, led by the parade’s Grand Marshal, Tom McHugh, and the Ladies Aide to the Grand Marshal, Patricia Fitzpatrick. The parade will step off at 2:00 pm from the East Islip Public Library and travel west to the grandstand at St. Mary’s RC Church.

A fundraiser to support the parade will be held on Sunday, February 5, 2023, from 2 PM-5 PM at Harp & Hound in Islip. A

Better Heart Health

(NAPSI)—The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute created With Every Heartbeat Is Life, to help African Americans have better heart health. Learn more at hearttruth.gov.

$20 donation at the door includes assorted appetizers, live music by J&D Acoustics, and a cash bar. There will also be raffle baskets and a 50/50 raffle.

For more information

about the parade or the fundraiser, you can contact localhibernians@gmail. com. You can also find us on Instagram & Twitter @ eiparade and Facebook: East Islip St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“ e Shower Door” located in Huntington Station had a re that has made the premise inoperable for the time being. e good news is their operations continue at two of their other great locations. Please be sure to contact them for all of your shower door needs.

MINEOLA 140 Jericho Tpke. 516-833-7909 • 516-833-7910 Email: Rightnow7@aol.com Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm Saturday 10am-5pm

Closed Sunday & Monday

MASSAPEQUA 4183-4185 Merrick Rd. 516-26-GLASS • 516-264-0321 Fax: 631-264-3186 Monday-Friday 10am-6pm Saturday 10am-5pm

and just the right amount of silly.

BRIE

5 year old female. Labrador mix. Smart and affectionate.

www.The-ShowerDoor.com 407897N011123

FERGIE

7 year old female. Pit mix. Gentle and well mannered. A perfect partner.

Closed Sunday

ROWDY

6 month old male. Pit mix. Sweet natured and affectionate boy.

Helping You Help Others

The Charity of the Month for January is Pal-O-Mine Equestrian

www.pal-o-mine.org

Pal-O-Mine Equestrian is a local non-profit organization that began in 1995 as a therapeutic horseback riding program for individuals with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. They grew from having two programs, eight horses and 80 students per week to 11 programs, 25 horses and 400 students per week - and they continue to grow today! “Our mission has been, and continues to be, to provide a comprehensive therapeutic equine program using horses to facilitate growth, learning and healing,” said Lisa Gatti, Founder and CEO of Pal-O-Mine Equestrian. “We proudly serve individuals with disabilities, those who have been abused or neglected, the military and the impoverished.”

Their location in Islandia offers an unequaled setting for equestrian activities, with a 20-stall barn on 13 acres, handicapped accessible bathrooms, a 100’ x 120’ indoor arena with state-of-the-art-footing and a rider hoisting system, 3 outdoor riding arenas, classrooms, accessible playground, a greenhouse and a wellness center.

Looking back on 2022, Pal-O-Mine logged 4,250 hours of Volunteer Hours and 86,400 Client Contact Hours. “2022 was about inspiring one another to reach common goals and emerging stronger,” said Lisa. “Our volunteers are an integral part of the day to day

operations at Pal-O-Mine. We all work together to serve our clients the best we can.”

They also aded four new animals to their gang; three horses and a Great Pyrenees Mountain Dog, Luca who is a natural at his job of watching over the herd. Bubba, one of the horses was generously donated to them by the Morris Family. He is an amazing lesson horse and is a client favorite in their equine yoga program. Another one of the horses is Alana, a pro at teaching new students to ride independently. Lastly, Sunflower is their newest horse, which is enjoying to learn about all the different programs held at Pal-O-Mine.

“2023 will be a year of physical growth with our new educational center and treatment clinic, as well as spiritual growth by continuing to serve the many who need our 13 acre farm and herd to help them heal from trauma, grow in personal strength and learn new things to brighten their future.”

If you would like more information about getting involved with this organization, please call 631-348-1389 or visit www.pal-o-mine.org.

Identity Theft Prevention Tips

(NAPSI)-A recent online survey by Toluna/Greenfield Online, Inc. found that while most consumers try to protect their identity, many admitted to risky behavior that could put them at risk for ID theft. To help educate and protect consumers, world-renowned fraud prevention expert Frank Abagnale offers these tips:

• Shop smart: Limit the credit cards you carry.

•Keep receipts and check

your statements: Examine every charge on your statement before paying.

Your receipts provide a great cross-reference check and guard against suspicious activity. You have 30 days from the date of your statement to notify your financial institution of any discrepancies; otherwise, you can be liable for any purchases.

• Protect your computer when online shopping: Make

sure your security patch and anti-virus software are updated regularly. Consider technology to protect against potential viruses.

• Watch where you shop online: Look for the lock icon on the site’s browser status bar, a sign that that site is safe. If you have never heard of a website before, see if it has security precautions in place and isn’t a fake site set up by identity thieves.

•Don’t write checks:

Give cash or gift cards. The information on a check— name, signature, address— can be used to steal identity.

•Strengthen passwords: Use passwords with at least eight characters, including a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that are easy for you to remember but difficult for predators to guess.

• Watch your wallet: Be careful at parties, restaurants, fitness clubs,

shopping carts and your car.

• Don’t take the bait on phishing scams: Also, beware of shoulder surfing (when a thief looks over your shoulder while you’re at an ATM, either directly or via a camera).

• Stop mail and newspaper delivery when you’ll be away from home.

• Consider an identity theft protection service: One low-cost solution monitors the online

criminal underground where identities are bought and sold and instantly alerts you if your Social Security number or up to 10 credit card or debit card numbers are posted by thieves. The service also scans online directories and search engines, prime sources for spammers and thieves, letting you know where your information is available, and provides advice on how to remove it.

Bank

Island Harvest, LI Cares Through Booster And Flu Shot Initiative

Island Harvest Food Bank and Long Island Cares-The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank received a $50,000 donation from Bank of America to help address food insecurity on Long Island. This donation represents the second phase of the employee booster campaign launched earlier this year, which provided $75,000 to Island Harvest and Long Island Cares.

The donation is part of a unique program to encourage bank employees to receive an annual flu shot and/or coronavirus vaccine or booster, while also investing in the

community. Bank of America donated $50 per shot to the organizations for each employee on Long Island who received a coronavirus vaccine, booster shot and/or flu shot before November 23.

“The economic fallout from the coronavirus has significantly increased demand for services from Island Harvest and Long Island Cares,” said Marc Perez, President, Bank of America Long Island. “Despite the difficulties of recent years, these organizations have remained steadfast in their work to address food

insecurity. Likewise, Bank of America continues to be deeply committed to supporting hunger relief efforts on Long Island.”

An estimated 230,000 people on Long Island face food insecurity. Since the onset of the pandemic, Bank of America has provided $575,000 to Island Harvest and Long Island Cares to support local hunger-relief efforts. Bank of America has committed nearly $19 million to local hunger relief organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico through its two employee booster campaigns.

The Value Of Repeat Customers

Small business owners no doubt recognize the value of repeat customers, but few may recognize just how valuable such customers

can be to their bottom lines. A study from researchers at Harvard Business School found that a customer’s eighth purchase was an average

of 80 percent higher than his or her first purchase. In addition, a survey from the strategic planning, marketing and sales consultants Altfeld, Inc.

found that the probability of selling to an existing customer is between 60 and 70 percent, while that probability shrinks to as low as 5 percent for new

customers. Customer retention strategies like offering superior customer service and seeking input from customers can help small

businesses generate more repeat customers, which can greatly improve their chances for long-term success.

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TO place an ad in the CLASSIFIED section, call 631-226-2636, press “2” A sales representative will be happy to assist you

TO place an ad in the CLASSIFIED section, call 631-226-2636, press “2”

A sales representative will be happy to assist you

TO place an ad in the CLASSIFIED section, call 631-226-2636, press “2”

A sales representative will be happy to assist you

TO place an ad in the CLASSIFIED section, call 631-226-2636, press “2”

A sales representative will be happy to assist you

TO place an ad in the CLASSIFIED section, call 631-226-2636, press “2”

A sales representative will be happy to assist you

Eagle Scout Project To Support Hungry For Music

Scouts BSA Life Scout, Hanna R. of Troop 430 Chartered by Amvets Post 76, is working on her Eagle Scout Service Project and is asking for your help. The project includes collecting musical instruments to donate to Hungry for Music, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides instruments to schools

and children in need. The Instrument collection drive is ongoing and all band and orchestra instruments are accepted. If you or someone you know have an instrument you are no longer using and would like to donate, please call or text (631)647-0814 to set up pick up or drop off. Visit hungryformusic.org

for more information about the project beneficiary.

For more information on Scouts BSA in Suffolk County please visit https:// www.sccbsa.org/ For more information on scouting in the Bay Shore Brightwaters area visit:http:// troop0043bayshore. ScoutLander.com

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