_________________ FREEPORT _________________
HERALD Also serving Roosevelt
County honors Freeport firemen
New artist at the Art Alcove
Parents indicted for child abuse
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Vol. 91 No. 16
APRIl 16 - 22, 2026
$1.00
Food pantry faces closure due to funding a “last-ditch effort” to prevent the closure, which would leave hundreds, if not thousands of The Long Island Food Pan- people who depend on the pantry, in Freeport, was set to close try without a primary or supon Wednesday, the result of a plemental source of food, the drop in funding. Officials at the facility, he said, was still accepting contribunonprofit organizations and donations tion, which is affilil a s t we e k at i t s ated with Long headquarters, at 353 Island Cares and W. Sunrise Highthe Long Island way. Council of Church“To get us back es, said they hoped operational, we to collect enough would probably funding this week need a minimum of to prevent the clo$50,000, but every sure. donation helps,” Several of the Achong said on nonprofit leaders Wednesday, April 8. and pantry admin“We do have curi s t r a t o r s h ave pointed to steady ANthoNy AChoNg rent donors that are coming out, giving decreases in dona- Director of us money here and tions from churches administration and there. We’re trying they rely on as the operations, to see if we can main factor in the Long Island build that back up facility’s impending Food Pantry right now, to see if closure. we c a n p o s s i bly “We’re down in donations from our churches,” keep it open. … If a miracle Anthony Achong, the pantry’s comes through and we get more director of administration and funding, then maybe we can operations, said. “We do get continue.” As of press time on Wednesgrants and other things that we file for, but our main donations day, the pantry was unable to confirm how much last-minute are down right now.” In what Achong described as Continued on page 4
By ANDREW FRANCIS
afrancis@liherald.com
I
Steve Sachs/Herald
Yami, 4, Haylee, 6, and avril, 7, with their baskets full of colorful easter eggs, gathered on the lawn of the John J. Byrne Community Center in uniondale.
Roosevelt resident hosts egg hunt for kids with special needs By StACy DRIKS sdriks@liherald.com
An inclusive Easter egg hunt, organized by Siblings Helping Siblings, brought dozens of families together on April 5 for a sensoryfriendly holiday celebration designed for children of all abilities. The third annual event, which drew about 60 attendees to the John J. Byrne Community Center in Uniondale, was designed to create a welcoming space where children could participate without the pressures of a larger gathering. Three years ago, Roosevelt resident Maria
Tejada launched Siblings Helping Siblings, an initiative that grew out of her experience with a special needs daughter and a lack of inclusive spaces for her family. “It started because of my daughter,” Tejada, who also has organized events at the Roosevelt Public Library, said. “In our experience, at that time, we didn’t see many spaces that welcome the whole family, especially those with disabilities.” Many siblings, who are often young themselves, do not fully understand disorders like autism, she explained. As a result, activities they want to take part in may not be accessiContinued on page 3
f a miracle comes through and we get more funding, then maybe we can continue.