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HERALD
SELLING, BUYING & INVESTING
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VSC excited about new start Page 6 VOL. 35 NO. 38
SEPTEMBER 12 - 18, 2024
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Mets’ Raad receives key to the village Saturday mornings with my dad as a kid to pick up bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches for Valley Stream’s Keith Raad the family, as well as the local was honored by his hometown paper so that I could soak up all Sept. 5 for his achievements as of the baseball info that I could. a play-by-play broadcaster for And the other is walking by the New York Mets during a Fireman’s Field, a block away family-friendly event at the Val- from my house, where there were five baseball ley Stream Village fields in one park, Green. and the sounds of The event includthe crowd and the ed a live DJ, givecrack of the bat aways, baseballseeped into my subthemed inflatables conscious.” for the kids, and a Valley Stream special appearance Deputy Mayor John by “Mr. Met” himPuforelli owned the self. Hundreds of Wheeler Deli for 27 baseball fans from years and was also surrounding com- KEITh RAAd President of the munities attended Mets broadcaster Va l l e y S t r e a m as well as Valley Baseball Lea gue Stream residents eager to give Raad a warm wel- when Raad was a kid. “Keith and my son played, come back home. Born and raised in Valley and the whole neighborhood Stream, Raad recounted how basically worked at that store, his early years participating in so we created baseball leagues various athletic programs in out of it,” Puforelli said. “Keith the community planted the was a good kid, and I knew that he would do well in life. He seeds for his future career. “You don’t realize what made Valley Stream proud.” Valley Stream Mayor Ed shapes you until you leave it,” Raad said. “There are two Fare welcomed Raad, his wife things that come to mind when Kaitlyn and daughter CharI think about this town. One is lotte, back to Valley Stream and the walk to Wheeler’s Deli on CoNTiNued oN pAge 10
By SUSANNA CIURELO
sciurelo@liherald.com
Melissa Baptiste/Herald
Lourdes Taglialatela, left, program center coordinator for the West Nassau Center for Food Assistance & Community Support, on Rockaway Avenue in Valley Stream, and Nichole Rojas, program associate, at the opening of the new pantry.
Long Island Cares opens pantry in Valley Stream after delays By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
After a series of logistical logjams pushing its opening day deadline, Long Island Cares’ newest food pantry in Valley Stream is finally here. The regional food bank’s newest satellite location was built to address the growing needs of local families and ease the demand on other regional pantries, especial-
ly the one in Freeport, which has been overwhelmed by requests for assistance. “They were trying to alleviate some of that,” Lourdes Taglialatela, the pantry’s program center coordinator, said. “So, put somebody right on the western border, and then you had Freeport, kind of like mid-Nassau. Then you have Bethpage a little further eastbound and more north, you know, to CoNTiNued oN pAge 20
Y
ou don’t realize what shapes you until you leave it.