Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

Island Harvest & Long Island Cares Join NBC 4, Telemundo 47, and East Hampton Stop&Shop for Massive Multi-State Food Drive on Sept. 9

Long Island Cares, The Harry Chapin Food Bank, Inc., and Island Harvest Food Bank are teaming up with NBC 4 New York / WNBC, Telemundo 47 / WNJU and Stop & Shop on Saturday, September 9th for the Feeding Our Families / Alimentando a Nuestras Familias food collection and volunteer recruitment drive. A massive, one-day multi-state effort to help eradicate local hunger. The other food banks across the Tri-State to benefit from this effort include; Food Bank for New York City, Fulfill, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, Feeding Westchester and Connecticut Foodshare.

The community can visit any one of these locations to donate non-perishables food and personal hygiene items to help their neighbors in need. Please visit NBCNewYork.com/fooddrive or telemundo47.com/ayuda to access a map of store locations. You can also follow the campaign on social media or post your own photos on September 9th using the hashtags #FOF, #FeedingOurFamilies or #T47Alimentando

Stop & Shop is one of the Tri-State’s largest supermarket retailers, and the brand has been a strong partner of area food banks and hunger relief organizations for many years. In 2023 alone, Stop & Shop has donated over $2.4 million in cash contributions to the eight participating food bank partners across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In 2019, Stop & Shop launched the Stop & Shop School Food Pantry Program, to work directly with schools from Pre-K through college to establish and support their in-school food pantries. This program has continued to expand, and Stop & Shop now supports more than 180 school food pantries across its entire footprint, including more than 100 school pantries within the Tri-State area.

“Hunger and food insecurity continue to be a chronic public health concern affecting nearly 300,000 of our neighbors on Long Island,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, President & CEO, Island Harvest Food Bank. “Our longtime partners NBC 4 New York, Telemundo 47, and Stop & Shop are an invaluable resource in our efforts supporting children, seniors, veterans, and others who are in the unenviable position of not having enough food to eat regularly. We are profoundly grateful for their unwavering support in the fight against hunger across the tri-state region.”

“We’re very excited to be partnering with NBC Universal and Stop & Shop for the annual Feeding our Families food drive,” said Paule Pachter, President & CEO, Long Island Cares Food Bank. “I’m confident that the food banks within the Tri-State area will benefit greatly from the generous support of our communities. NBC Universal and Stop & Shop are dedicated to ensuring that families struggling with food insecurity receive the nutritious food and support they need to stay healthy and well. Long Island Cares -The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank is grateful for this very meaningful partnership.”

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

DONATIONS:

Non-perishable food and personal hygiene items, including frequently requested items like baby diapers

are most in need. The food banks also suggest donations of: Canned proteins, soups and vegetables,

dried beans, fruit, Herbs and peanut butter.

Other suggested items on the Feeding Families Shopping list include:

PLEASE NOTE: No perishable dairy, glass or produce can be accepted.

“This is a critical time for our food banks. With the start of school just around the corner and the holidays quickly approaching, they need non-perishable food donations right now,” said Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York. “Our WNBC team is passionate about fighting hunger and supporting the work of our local food banks. That is why we are hosting Feeding our Families on Saturday, September 9; a massive one-day food drive that will generate hundreds of thousands of meals for Tri-State families in need.”

“The loss of a job, a long-term illness or any number of unexpected circumstances can lead us to choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table. It does not have to be this way - and that is why our food banks are so important,” said Cristina Schwarz, President and General Manager of Telemundo 47. “The food banks are that first line of defense for all of us, and they are ready to lend a helping hand regardless of where you live, the language you speak or your immigration status. Our Alimentando a Nuestras Familias campaign will help Tri-State food banks meet the growing demand and continue their important work.”

“We are incredibly excited to bring back this beloved community event with our partners NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47, and to rally alongside our customers to help in the fight against hunger,” said Jennifer Barr, Stop & Shop Director of External Communications and Community Relations. “Making sure our neighbors in the communities we serve have access to nutritious food is important to us – and if we all work together, we can help put an end to hunger in the Tri-State area.”

With food banks also in need of new volunteers, NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47 are encouraging viewers to “Give 4” and commit four hours of their time every four months at a local food bank. Volunteers can stock shelves; pack supplies and make local deliveries. They can also conduct non-physical, customized tasks including accounting, social media, digital marketing, and advertising, among others. Food Bank volunteer signup sheets will be available on event day at each Stop & Shop location.

DONATIONS:

PLEASE NOTE: No perishable dairy, glass or produce can be accepted.

“This is a critical time for our food banks. With the start of school just around the corner and the holidays quickly approaching, they need non-perishable food donations right now,” said Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York. “Our WNBC team is passionate about fighting hunger and supporting the work of our local food banks. That is why we are hosting Feeding our Families on Saturday, September 9; a massive one-day food drive that will generate hundreds of thousands of meals for Tri-State families in need.”

“The loss of a job, a long-term illness or any number of unexpected circumstances can lead us to choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table. It does not have to be this way - and that is why our food banks are so important,” said Cristina Schwarz, President and General Manager of Telemundo 47. “The food banks are that first line of defense for all of us, and they are ready to lend a helping hand regardless of where you live, the language you speak or your immigration status. Our Alimentando a Nuestras Familias campaign will help Tri-State food banks meet the growing demand and continue their important work.”

“We are incredibly excited to bring back this beloved community event with our partners NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47, and to rally alongside our customers to help in the fight against hunger,” said Jennifer Barr, Stop & Shop Director of External Communications and Community Relations. “Making sure our neighbors in the communities we serve have access to nutritious food is important to us – and if we all work together, we can help put an end to hunger in the Tri-State area.”

With food banks also in need of new volunteers, NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47 are encouraging viewers to “Give 4” and commit four hours of their time every four months at a local food bank. Volunteers can stock shelves, pack supplies and make local deliveries. They can also conduct non-physical, customized tasks including accounting, social media, digital marketing and advertising, among others. Food Bank volunteer signup sheets will be available on event day at each Stop & Shop location.

EAST HAMPTON, CT (WFSB) - After weeks of rising tension, East Hampton voters made a decision on proposed school budget cuts.

Students, parents, and teachers met at a recent town council meeting where they spoke out against school budget cuts. The proposed cuts could impact local school funding by almost $800,000.

Residents packed recent meetings, and parents were especially concerned about the proposal’s implications.

The East Hampton Board of Education asked for more funding to accommodate rising costs. However, the town’s finance board responded by proposing $729,000 in cuts.

The proposal would lay off at least five teachers, so class sizes would likely increase. Another source of conflict was the proposal to reduce working hours for school psychologists.

The town said the proposed cuts were due to unfunded mandates and state and federal inflation.

The East Hampton Board of Finance said it was trying to maintain a low tax base for the town. Residents argued that students’ education and mental health should take priority over financial matters.

Residents raised their concerns at a town meeting earlier in May.

The heated debate lasted two hours. There were several outbursts from the crowd and two people were asked to leave after the council decided to keep the cuts in place.

One resident pleaded for the council to send the budget back to the finance committee for another review, but the council voted 4-3 in favor of keeping the budget as is.

East Hampton Superintendent Paul Smith said the council should’ve listened to their constituents.

“Two hundred and fifty people show up to a meeting. As a school and town official that’s a pretty good representation. I would listen to those comments,” Smith said.

East Hampton residents voted on the proposed budget at a referendum on Tuesday. The polls opened at 6:00 a.m. By 2:00 pm., more than 1,000 votes were cast.

Voters were able to vote “YES” or “NO” on two proposed budgets, the $35 million school budget and the $17 million budget.

After a heated debate on the budget, East Hampton residents ultimately did not approve the proposed budget proposed for the 2023-2024 school year.

Residents voted that the proposed budget of $35,608,655 was too low.

The town also voted no on the town budget, also saying the budget was too low.

The budget now goes back to the board of finance.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.

A group of East Hampton High School students are spreading the word about the town’s budget referendum. It comes after cuts to education were included in the proposed budget.

“They bring so much to the school and every teacher matters, here especially,” Enja Barry, a junior, said.

That’s how students at East Hampton high school feel about their teachers. As the town budget moves forward to a referendum, included are about $800,000 in education spending cuts, possibly eliminating five teacher positions. That didn’t sit well with the students.

“Once we start cutting teachers, we start showing people that education no longer matters. Once education no longer matters, how does that paint us as a society?” William Faber, a freshman, said.

In response to the budget cuts, a group of students is mobilizing their fellow classmates.

“I value my voice and I value the voice of my students and I want to make sure that they’re heard,” Salem Didado, a senior, said.

This meant handing out informational slips to high school students eligible to vote, breaking down what a yes or no vote would mean and encouraging them to register to vote if eligible.

“I went to a bunch of different homerooms. I had volunteers helping me. I assigned them to different wings of the school.”

Senior Noelle Lavender came up with the idea and design.

“I specifically made them half sheets, because I know if I’m a student and I get a full sheet of paper, I know I’m not going to look at it,” she said.

Lavender says this required administrative approval from the school and the superintendent. Superintendent Paul Smith confirmed he approved of the slips being distributed with caveats saying in a statement:

“Students at East Hampton High School asked if they could spread the word about the upcoming budget referendum (May 30) and remind their fellow students who were eligible to register to vote if they had not already done so. Permission was given by me for them to proceed as long as no school supplies (paper) or school copy machines were used to create their pamphlets. No taxpayer dollars were used for this effort. We’re proud to support student involvement in this civic process.”

The chair of the East Hampton Board of Education stressing in a statement the students are working independently saying:

“Any resident choosing to actively participate in local democracy should be applauded. While the group of grass-roots advocates have made themselves known, the Board of Education has no involvement or influence in these efforts.”

Lavender says the school and teachers have been clear, the slips can only be informative about the referendum. They cannot take sides.

“I don’t want to sway people’s opinions in any way. I want them to form their own with the facts,” she said.

She hopes students go to the ballot box having a say on what their future holds.

“I’m not going to be here next year, but my friends are going to be here. My brother who’s like my best friend is going to be here,” Lavender said.

The town budget referendum is set to happen on May 30.

A controversial vote on proposed cuts to the school budget in East Hampton pushed taxpayers to the polls Tuesday.

On the ballot were almost $800,000 in cuts to the school district’s budget. If voters approve the cuts, the superintendent, Paul Smith, said five teaching positions would need to be eliminated including two elementary teachers, one high school English teacher and two special education teachers who work in the upper elementary level.

This opportunity to vote came after the town council held several lengthy meetings were there was public outcry from parents, students and teachers who opposed the cuts.

Several parents turned out to vote on Tuesday, including Elizabeth Quealy, who has three young children, two of whom are already in the public school district.

“Education is important whether or not you have children in the school system. It’s our future and it’s really what we need to focus on,” Quealy said.

Quealy said her oldest child in fifth grade needs additional help with math and reading. She is concerned about the potential increase in class size and reduction of resources if the budget were to be approved.

Jude Barry, who has three children in the district in grades 7, 9 and 11, shared the same concerns.

“The whole reason I moved to this town is for the children,” said Barry. “The ratios will be worse and the kids won’t get the attention they’ll need.”

One of Barry’s children even attended one of the previous town council meetings.

“How often do you see children, children at a town hall meeting? So, the fact that our kids are bright enough is a statement of the educational system of itself,” said Barry.

But other voters questioned if the school district could be doing a better job budgeting with the money they already have.

“How much do we really need? How much bigger schools? How many more athletic fields do we have to have,” said Tim Larson, an East Hampton voter.

“I think it’s too high because they increase the budget ever year and they have less students,” said Dale Weiman, an East Hampton voter.

The district has seen a slight decrease in enrollment and have adjusted accordingly, according to Superintendent Smith. For example, in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school year, enrollment decreased by approximately 20 children each year. The district took steps and already eliminated an elementary teaching position each time.

Smith said that if the proposed $800,000 cuts went through and another two elementary positions had to be eliminated, they would have to combine classes and the size would go from 20 or 21 students in a class to 24 or 25.

But some voters said the taxes in East Hampton are starting to become unreasonably expensive.

“The mill rates are become so high that it becomes very difficult for the average person to even afford a home in this area, unless you're making a certain amount of money. And that's kind of pushes those people who've been here, legacy people who've been here for a long time, away from it,” Larson said. “If you look around you, even the building in front of us [Town Hall] cost us millions and millions of dollars. And to that point, it just becomes almost difficult for someone to make it on the taxes, especially if you as you go toward retirement,” said Larson.

Voters had until 8 p.m. on Tuesday to vote.

The East Hampton education budget will now go to the people for a vote. The town council moved that budget forward today in a tight 4-3 vote.

This coming as dozens of people opposed that move.

“We’ve kind of united to support our teachers, and our students and our community," said high school senior Noelle Lavender.

She spoke about the dozens of people that showed up to Tuesday’s East Hampton town council meeting to fight a proposed education budget, which would cut about $800,000, possibly eliminating five teacher positions.

Lavender says those staff members are crucial to student success.

“I need these people because I go through some things. Our kids go through things, and they help us no matter what,” she said.

Parents, teachers and students in attendance said the cuts can’t happen.

“The people’s voice when it cries as one is a great roar, so I say listen to us roar. Send the budget back,” Deborah Field, an East Hampton resident, said.

“I have a hard time trying to understand how anybody can justify taking money away from our schools when we’re still in the process of recovering,” student Enzo Berry said.

In a tight 4-3 vote, the town council decided to move the education budget to a referendum where the town would vote.

School Superintendent Paul Smith said the proposed cuts to school staffing will move forward, but said this about the council’s action:

“I’m a little bit disheartened that they didn’t take the opportunity to send it back to the Board of Finance,” he said.

Town Council Chair Mark Philhower said he’s received messages from concerned citizens not at the meeting saying the cuts are necessary.

He also believes the Board of Education can take action themselves, saying the councilors cannot tell the board what to do.

“They can find money somewhere. Keep the teachers with removing some of the other staff,” Philhower said.

The head of the local teacher’s union is disheartened as well.

“That’s devastating. We have an incredible school system,” Neil Shilansky, president of the East Hampton Education Association, said.

May 30 is when the referendum on the town budget and education budget is supposed to happen.