Answering The Call To Service

Sigma Psi Omega sisters commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King Day by answering the civil right’s leader’s call to service. 

Members of Sigma Psi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority took to the stoves to mark Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day. The sorority sisters gathered at a local church to prepare chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwiches to feed 200 children who reside in shelters.

The Jan. 21 event memorialized the legacy of Dr. King through service, Michelle Richards, the chapter’s president, said.

Richards said there is a correlation between children who receive free and reduced meals in school and food security, and many families rely on the well-balanced meal provided in school to meet the nutritional needs of their children.

“When these children are not in school they run the risk of barely having one well-balanced home-cooked meal,” Richards said. “It is our goal to provide children who are residing in shelters with a warm, home-cooked lunch to ensure they receive at least one well-balanced meal on this day off from school.”

The food was donated by the chapter and prepared at a Wyandanch church, which donated use of its facilities. The soup and sandwiches were later delivered to a shelter in the Town of Huntington.

“Dr. King left us with this quote to ponder: ‘Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?'  So, on this day we celebrate the gifts that Dr. King gave to mankind through our service to our children in need,” Richards said.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is the nation’s oldest Greek letter sorority founded by black, college-educated women. It was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington D.C. on Jan. 15, 1908, and since then has flourished into a globally-impactful organization of nearly 300,000 college-trained members. Sigma Psi Omega chapter was founded June 23, 1990 in Hauppauge, and is based in Bay Shore.

Community Collects Some Relief For Coasties

US Coast Guard Station Eatons Neck.

By Peter Sloggatt
psloggatt@longislandergroup.com

As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, private sector relief is finding its way to furloughed federal workers, inclunding local Coast Guardsmen stationed at Eaton’s Neck.

A drive hastily organized by Seymour’s Boatyard owner Dave Weber with help from Northport Fire Department brought in thousands in donated gas and grocery store cards along with monetary donations over the course of a weekend.

Weber said he initially tried to help out by offering part time employment at his boatyard to the Coast Guard members who have been working without pay since the shutdown began Dec. 22, 2018. Many face long commutes to the station where they work a four-day shift. Weber found federal rules prohibit Coasties from taking outside work at local marinas.

Weber said Eatons Neck Commanding Officer Anthony Martinez steered him to the non-profit Long Island Chief Petty Officers’ Association which can take monetary donations, and the Greater Huntington Council of Yacht and Boating Clubs, which turned over $2,200 worth of cards early this week, according to its executive officer Jackie Martin.

“My husband came up with the idea because he was in the navy and knew some of them must be living paycheck to paycheck,” said Martin.

To make it convenient for donors, Weber arranged for a box to be put at Northport Fire Department’s Main Street headquarters where people can drop donated cards or checks made out to the LI Chief Petty Officers Assocation.

“Here’s a group of men and women carrying out some of the biggest drug busts in the country,” Weber said of the Coasties. “And they’re working without getting paid.”

Susan Lupinacci, Supervisor's Mom, Dies At 67

Susan Lupinacci

Susan J. Lupinacci, 67, a lifelong Huntington Station resident and mother of Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci, died on Tuesday, Jan. 15 in her home on 11th Avenue, Supervisor Lupinacci said in a statement released last Wednesday.

In his statement, Lupinacci said, “I am devastated by the sudden loss of my beloved mother. She was the glue that held our family together. My mother’s life centered on family and friends, she put everyone before herself and she had an enormous amount of love to give.”

“She was a compassionate person who instilled the importance of helping others in me and my entire family and her absence from our lives is an immeasurable loss. I am so fortunate to have had a mother who loved me unconditionally and supported me wholeheartedly in my many endeavors. I will cherish the countless memories that we shared, and never forget the pride she had when I took the oath of office as Huntington Town Supervisor at our alma mater, Walt Whitman High School. I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers of support and healing during this painful time,” Lupinacci said.

Susan Lupinacci was born on Dec, 1, 1951 to Joseph and Ann Di Spirito. She grew up on 7th Avenue North in Huntington Station with her brother and sisters, graduating from Walt Whitman High School with the Class of 1969.

Her family owned Di Spirito Meat Market, the prominent pre-Urban Renewal Huntington Station butcher shop on New York Avenue, which was later relocated and renamed Whitman Meats.

Lupinacci had a career as a professional gardener and caterer and moved just four blocks from her childhood home to reside at 11th Avenue with her husband Sal Lupinacci for more than 40 years.

In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by a daughter Allison Belfiore, brother Edward Di Spirito, sisters Dolores Kenny and Connie Di Spirito, two grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family will receive friends at M.A. Connell Funeral Home Monday, Jan. 21. Funeral services will be held at 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 22, at St. Hugh of Lincoln R.C. Church in Huntington Station. Burial will follow at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Huntington.