_______ Malverne/West HeMpstead ______
HERALD Also serving Lakeview
laura Ryder visits lakeview
Teen hosts school supplies drive
Whelan Park opens to public
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Vol. 32 No. 31
JUlY 31 - AUGUST 6, 2025
$1.00
Food pantry reopens after town shutdown By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
Madison Gusler/Herald
Volunteers for Friends for the Poor Foundation and Power of Prayer Church celebrated the grand reopening of their food pantry.
After four years of providing community members with access to fresh produce and other goods on a weekly basis, Ramonia Ramkissoon, director of the Friends for the Poor Foundation, had her operation shut down by the Town of Hempstead on May 3. On Saturday, dozens of people attended the grand reopening of the West Hempstead-based pantry, now partnering with Power of Prayer Church, in West Hempstead. Town of Hempstead Building Department Code Enforcement officers initially shut down the pantry, because Friends for the Poor did not operate on a commercial property. Ramkissoon hosted the pantry in her backyard on Hopatcong Avenue with people in need of food assistance lining up on the sidewalk outside her house every Saturday morning. From 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or so, anyone in need Continued on Page 16
From Malverne Little League to the Diamondbacks By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
On July 14, the Ariola family was gathered in the living room of their Malverne home watching the 2025 MLB draft. That’s when Joe Ariola, 21, found out that the Arizona Diamondbacks had selected him as a pitcher in the seventh round, the 213th overall pick. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m coming up next,” he told his f ather, Joseph, 62, after hanging up the phone. Seconds later, the family heard Ariola’s name called on the livestream.
“It was a dream come true,” Ariola said. “I’ve been thinking about this day since I started playing baseball, and breaking through that barrier, getting to that next level, the feeling is indescribable.” “It’s a rush of emotion,” his father recalled. “I’m proud beyond words.” The day after he was drafted, Ariola visited Harris Field, the home of the Malverne Little League, which was hosting a summer camp. He spent more than two hours talking with the kids, taking photos, signing autographs, and playing baseball with the campers. “It’s like he was in no rush
to leave that field, you know,” his father said. “Truthfully, he really is the same 12-year-old kid playing baseball in Malverne.” Both Ariola and his older brother, Paul, 26, began playing baseball in the Malverne Little League. “It was very important for our family to always make sure that Little League was the primary focus, because that’s where you spend time with your friends,” Joseph, former president of the league, said. “You can always play travel ball, but it’s important to focus on friends and family because they’re the ones who are going
to support you.” Patrick Rudden, the Little League’s current president, recalled memories of his son playing alongside Ariola when they were younger. “I’ve known Joe since he was a little kid,” Rudden said. “To see him develop over the years and be drafted is amazing.” “I did every level of Mal-
verne Little League, from Tee Ball to seniors,” Ariola said. “I know a lot of people nowadays, they go right to club teams, but it’s a lot of fun, it’s more baseball and you get to spend time with your friends.” Ariola attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, where he played baseball and hockey. Continued on Page 3