Franklin Square/Elmont
HERALD Mother, daughter leave hospital
Fridays are for free pretzels
elmont church spreads love
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Vol. 22 no. 20
MaY 12 - 20, 2020
Sprucing up the community Valley Streamers and Elmonters look to start community garden But the vacant lot on North Central Avenue isn’t the only site being considered by nearly A house once stood at the 40 Valley Stream and Elmont intersection of North Central residents who are members of Avenue and North Drive in Val- the 22nd Assembly District ley Stream, but it was demol- Community Garden Coalition. ished in the early 2000s, and for Others in the virtual meeting the past decade, the parcel has suggested they build the garden sat dor mant as a Town of in the Mill Pond area of Valley Hempstead property. Now Val- Stream, or in a vacant lot near ley Stream and the Pep Boys on Elmont residents Hempstead Turnare petitioning pike in Elmont. town officials to O n e m e m b e r, let them develop it Lorrie Sand, suginto a community g e s t e d Va l l e y garden. Stream’s Village “We live here, Green, so gardenand we’re asking ers could tap into for this,” Denise the village’s water Riggio, a resident MiChaelle supply. But Solagof the area for 50 es said they could solages years, said at a always use water virtual communi- State assemblywoman barrels, and Mary ty garden interest Callahan, a coordimeeting on May 4. nator for the CorShe has been working with the nell Cooperative Extension, Cornell Cooperative Extension, noted that an irrigation system which helps promote sustain- c o u l d g r e a t l y r e d u c e t h e ability on Long Island, and amount of water necessary for S t a t e A s s e m b l y w o m a n garden maintenance. Michaelle Solages, who proWherever they choose, coaliposed the idea of a community tion members agreed that the garden in the 22nd Assembly site should be easily accessible, District in January and has and Muhammad Tahir Vali secured a $9,000 grant for its creation. Continued on page 4
By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com
i
Christina Daly/Herald
Celebrating grandma, safely Charlotte Arena created a sign for her grandmother at the Plattduetsche Retirement Home’s driveby Mother’s Day celebration on Sunday. Story, more photos, Page 3.
All aboard the food train
Franklin Square residents feed veteran in need By Melissa Koenig mkoenig@liherald.com
M o re t h a n 8 0 F r a n k l i n Square residents have volunteered to help a local World War II veteran who has struggled to keep food on the table for himself and his 65-year-old mentally disabled daughter during the coronavirus pandemic. “T he community really stepped up for this,” said Gina
Centauro, who lives in Franklin Square and organized a “food train” for Rosario Trovato on May 4. The 98-year-old Trovato had reached out to her charity, Rescuing Families Inc., a few weeks ago, Centauro recounted, saying he needed essential items such as masks, gloves, paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning supplies. But after talking to him every other day, and dropping those items off at
his Garden City South home twice a week, Centauro found out that Trovato was also having trouble getting food. He didn’t want his home health care aides going shopping, out of fear that they might contract Covid-19, Centauro said, and when he went shopping himself, “there was nothing left for him.” “The pandemic has been Continued on page 4
t’s really what we, as a community, want it to be.