INCORPORATING THE WEST HEMPSTEAD BEACON VOL. 76 No. 14
Second Class Postage paid at Post office at Hempstead, N.Y. 11550
April 02-08, 2026
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Firefighters share survival advice Officials urge preparedness after fatal blaze not worth it,” Spencer said. “Once you get out of the house, please do not go back in. Leave it to the fire departStrengthening community aware- ment.” Reflecting the March 13 fatal fire, he ness of fire safety and emergency preparedness was the focal point of the fire added, “Don’t think because we’re fireprevention forum held at Kennedy fighters, we’re invincible,” he said. Memorial Park in the wake of a March “That last tragedy struck us hard.” Spencer provided detailed safety 13 residential fire that resulted in the death of a 42-year-old man and a guidance, from placing important docu12-year-old boy. ments near exits to properHosted by the Hemply m a i n t a i n i n g s m o ke stead Fire Department, the detectors. forum brought together He also warned against families and first respondmisusing fire extinguishers to discuss how to preers. vent fires, respond effec“I don’t want you to tively in emergencies, and play firefighter,” Spencer keep households safe. said. “That extinguisher is Village officials said the to g et you out of the forum comes at a critical house,” he added, recomtime. mending ABC-rated extin“We’ve recently had an ROgER FAuLk guishers placed near exits uptick of fires in the vil- Hempstead building and bedrooms. lage of Hempstead, and Hempstead firefighter department one with a fatality,” said Cameron Peek, a 30-year Mayor Waylon Hobbs Jr. “I vo l u n t e e r a n d fo r m e r think it’s important to have this forum FDNY member, emphasized the imporfor our community to know what to do tance of community awareness and in event of fire. We want to see our com- understanding building conditions. munity safe.” “We need the community to help us Fire Department Capt. Jeffrey Spen- police everybody else. If you see somecer underscored that the priority in any thing, say something,” Peek said. “A lot fire is survival –– not saving posses- of times, people don’t know if they live sions. in a fireproof building and if you’re not “Anything that you cannot grab in in the fire apartment, you may be safer your hand and get out that door with is COntinued On Page 2
By ABBEY SALVEMINI
asalvemini@liherald.com
Jordan Vallone/Herald
Members of the national Junior Honor Society at W.t. Clarke Middle School packed 750 lunches, which were donated to food banks and organizations around Long island.
Clarke M.S. students fight hunger with a passion
Honor society prepares 750 lunches By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com
In the cafeteria at W.T. Clarke Middle School, students rolled up their sleeves on Friday, donned hair nets and gloves and got to work, preparing 750 lunches for those in need. The donated lunches were distributed to several community organizations, including MOMMAS House in Glen Cove; SCO Family Services in Dix Hills; Community Solidarity in Hempstead; Hempstead Community Hearts; Centro Cristiano Familia in Jamaica, Queens; and Feed the Family Foundation in Brooklyn. Clarke’s National Junior Honor Society spearheaded the effort, thanks to a grant it received after an extensive application process. Janine Loewy, the student group’s coadvisor, along with Maria Giannotti, explained that its student board, which
consists of four students, chose to apply for a grant through the National Association of Secondary School Principals to complete a community service project. The student board decided to use funds to put together lunches for Long Islanders experiencing food insecurity. Originally, the students were aiming to pack 150 lunches, but after receiving an $800 grant, the operation expanded dramatically enough for the students to prepare 750 lunches. Over the last several weeks, 55 student-members in the honor society, who are all in the eighth grade, solicited donations from local stores in the greater East Meadow community. Some stores donated gift cards, some gave non-perishables and others contributed fresh grocery items, such as deli meats, fruits and vegetables. For the first three school periods on Friday, honor society members were COntinued On Page 7
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ou need a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detectors in every bedroom.