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Page 10 VoL. 103 No. 12 MARCH 19 - 25, 2026
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Celebrating a century of the Nassau Herald the paper with several partners. What they initially believed would be a silent For 100 years, the Nassau investment soon became the Herald has chronicled the tri- center of their professional umphs, challenges and every- lives. “Over the next few years day life of the Five Towns. From its beginnings as a they gave up their accounting small weekly newspaper to its practices, bought out their partners and role today as part of became the sole a multi-platform owners,” Stuart media organization, Richner, publisher, the Herald has said. remained focused on a single mission For the Richners’ — telling the stories sons — Stuart, Cliff of the communities and Donald — the it serves. newspaper quickly The newspaper became part of daily traces its origins to life. The family the 1920s, when it lived in Lawrence, was known as the and after school the Rockaway Branch boys often walked to Journal, named for the Herald’s office StuARt RICHNER near the firehouse. the Long Island Rail Road branch con- Publisher “We grew up in the necting Hewlett, business,” Stuart Woodmere, Cedarhurst, Law- recalled. “It was very much an rence and Inwood to Far Rocka- integral part of our family’s way. life.” In the early 1930s, readers The brothers began helping selected the name Nassau Her- with small jobs. Over time they ald through a contest, giving learned the mechanics of prothe publication an identity that ducing a weekly newspaper, has endured for decades. assisting with layout and pasteA defining chapter in the up. Herald’s history began in June “Our parents were very 1964, when accountants Robert hardworking people,” Stuart and Edith Richner purchased COnTinued On Page 7
By MELISSA BERMAN
mberman@liherald.com
Courtesy Rivkah Halpern
The SHOP, located in Cedarhurst, serves more than 600 families per month, relying on donations in addition to its funding to provide aid to people in need.
Food insecurity creates challenges in the Five Towns By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY awarshavsky@liherald.com
As the cost of groceries continues to soar in 2026, many families in the Five Towns are facing increased challenges putting food on their table — and local nonprofits are trying to meet these obstacles head on. Food prices rose 2.9 percent in 2025 and are projected to increase another 3 percent in 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. Another hurdle for families involves changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which rolled out stricter requirements earlier this month. When SNAP payments were suspended during the government shutdown in November, many families turned to the Veterans
Farmers Market, at 275 Lawrence Ave. in Lawrence, a food pantry operated by the nonprofit Rock and Wrap It Up! Syd Mandelbaum, the market’s founder, said that after working in a soup kitchen on Beach 74th Street in Far Rockaway, in 1988, he saw no reason to ask why visitors came for meals. “We set up a place to increase dignity,” he said of the farmers market, which doesn’t require visitors to produce identification. “We want people to feel that there’s no shame in coming if you have a situation that you need food.” While the farmers market is not required to pay rent on the Lawrence Avenue building, which was donated by the Town of Hempstead, it still must shell out $1,300 in COnTinued On Page 9
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