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Kiwanis Club food drive stocks pantries
with the Kiwanis from East Meadow, I believe, for about 20 years,” she said. “This is very As winter ends, students refreshing that we know that f r o m E a s t M e a d ow H i g h there are families who are not School’s Key Club revitalized from Westbury and they are contheir local food pantries follow- cerned about the needs that othing the successful Thanksgiving ers may have. They grow themselves by helping others and by food drive of last year. The collection occurred out- being aware that there is need side the ShopRite in Uniondale around us. “Always, when you do someon March 21 and 22. thing for the others, Community it comes back to you members donated double,” she continnonperishable goods ued, “so all the time to support local famthat you can do ilies in need. Volunsomething good for teers accepted sealed anybody else, to food items and help people there ingredients as well are in need, the as gift cards to help YANiRA CHACON blessings will multipurchase perishable St. Bridgette’s Parish ply to yourself.” items such as dairy Through the annual food products, fresh meat and vegetadrives, a new generation of givbles. The proceeds from the drive ers are fighting back against went to regional food pantries growing food insecurity on Long including St. Brigid’s Parish in Island, Chacon said. “We are open five days a week Westbury. The parish’s pantry received the whole year,” she said. “We the donations shortly after the always have a lot of families… drive concluded, about a dozen we always need donations.” Anne Lederer, the director of large boxes packed full of longlasting goods — exactly what the social ministry at St. Raphathey need to last through the el Parish, received 20 boxes of coming months, according to donations for her parish’s food Yanira Chacon, director of par- pantry from the Kiwanis Club. “They had a whole pickup ish outreach. “We’ve been in relationship
By JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO
jdalessandro@liherald.com
Jordan Vallone/Herald
Serene and Grateful Entertainment, also known as SAGE, is a Levittown-based nonprofit that champions music and art therapy as tools for individuals recovering from addiction. Above, Andrew Kase, its LGBTQ+ outreach director, Sean Mullady, its founder, and Danielle McNicholas, its therapeutic director.
With SAGE, finding hope after addiction through art and music By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com
Feelings of joy, strength and resilience radiated throughout the East Meadow Public Library, as Serene and Grateful Entertainment, or SAGE, hosted a creative showcase, highlighting the talents of musicians, poets, artists and more. SAGE is SAGE, a nonprofit organization that champions music and art therapy as tools for individuals recovering from addiction, was founded by Sean Mullady, with the same name of his son, Sage Mullady, who died in 2022 from a drug overdose. “It was devastating,” Mullady said. “I didn’t have any coping skills. I’d always been a functioning addict, but when that happened, I com-
pletely spiraled out of control. Long story short, one day I woke up, and I was like, ‘I’m either going to have an act two in life, or I’m going to go down in flames.’” Mullady went to St. Christopher’s Rehabilitation Inn in upstate-New York. “I found a higher power, you know, I found God, and started getting clean,” he said at the event on March 29. “But what I realized that there was a void that needed to be filled with music and art. And that’s where SAGE comes in.” After leaving rehab about three years ago, Mullady, who is originally from Oceanside, began working on building what would become SAGE. The nonprofit is based in Levittown but regularly engages in workshops and CoNTiNuED oN pAGE 20
W
e always need donations.
CoNTiNuED oN pAGE 11