News

By Jeff Friedman
Editor’s Note: Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), here, in his own words, writes about food lines, and what LPI is doing to help.
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The lives of our most vulnerable populations, the homeless and profoundly poor, has always been about lines. Lines for free clothing, lines to get benefits, lines to see a health care professional (if they can actually make it happen), and lines for food. Lines, lines, and more lines. These lines are even longer and more difficult as the pandemic’s havoc is being played out in New Jersey’s cities like Newark, the main homeless population served by Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI).

In honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, on April 29, that nation’s fl ag was raised at town hall in Livingston. Although the Livingston Celebrates Israel festivities were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the fl ag will remain fl ying for all to see until Friday, May 1. Shown here, the fl ag was fully raised and then lowered to half staff in honor of those lost to the virus. Thinking about Regardless of your plans, I am prices in our neighborhood.

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Public Hearing Is May 7: 

Superintendent of schools Matt Block, at the April 27 meeting of the Board of Education, said that the district is aiming “to balance the financial hardships that so many people in the community are suffering with the determination to creatively preserve the excellent educational program and services that define our schools… and are central to Livingston’s identity.”

The administration is recommending small cuts to the budget for projects that can be delayed to a later time. “But we feel strongly,” Block said, “that it would be a mistake to make significant cuts when we don’t know what the future looks like.”

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On Monday, April 27, Livingston’s Township Council held a livestreamed meeting to discuss the town’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its upcoming budget. The township was granted an extension to pass this year’s budget due to the pandemic.

The meeting, a combined conference and regular meeting that was held via the video conferencing service, Zoom, was shared on the Livingston Township Facebook page. There were more than 60 live viewers during the meeting, and about 1,500 people had watched at least part of the meeting by noon on Tuesday.

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Life came full circle when Brett Ratner, a resident of Fairfax Drive and a 2012 graduate of Livingston High School, was able to make and donate protective face shields for nurse Laura Romeo and the medical community at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. Romeo, a 1983 graduate of LHS, was the very same nurse who took care of Brett when he was born. According to his mom, Cheri, who graduated from LHS with Romeo, Brett and his siblings, Cheryl, Alyssa, and Joey, “were eager to help the Saint Barnabas medical community, which took such wonderful care of their grandfather before he passed four months ago (not from COVID-19).” Shown above, the Ratners – mom Cheri; Alyssa, LHS class of 2016; dad Scott; and Brett assemble face shields. (Joey, LHS class of 2014, helped too, but stopped to take the photo.) Below, Brett delivers the completed shields to Romeo. “I am so proud of Brett and all of the work our medical community is doing,” said Cheri Ratner.

As Livingston’s contributions continue to arrive, Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) volunteers are actively purchasing food items for Newark’s stressed food pantries, announced the Livingston charity’s founder and director, Jeff Friedman.
LPI shipped 80 cases of bottled spring water and 200 loaves of bread to Newark Emergency Services for Families (NESF). Amina Bey, NESF’s executive director said, “In the past two days, Newark Emergency Services for Families has distributed over 500 packages of food, diapers, toiletries and cases of water to the residents of Essex County. Special thanks to our partners, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, the Salvation Army, and Livingston Philanthropies for their generosity and support.”

The fourth and fifth graders in the Livingston Library’s “XTreme Readers” book club met as scheduled on March 31, despite the coronavirus quarantine, to discuss their regularly scheduled book. However, the meeting was a virtual one, held on Zoom.

The kids already had physical copies of the selection, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, but Gina Vaccaro, the librarian who leads the group, found that many aspects of the meeting had to be changed.

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Beth Lippman of the Livingston Business Improvement District submitted this photo of Camuso holiday decorations packed up and awaiting the holiday season. “Hang in there,” she wrote, adding jokingly that we should all take a lesson from the Camuso fi gures – “These guys shelter in place ten months a year!”

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At Tuesday night’s school budget forum, the Livingston Board of Education and administration decided to reschedule the public hearing about the school spending plan to Thursday, May 7, in order to have as much information as possible before formalizing the budget.

The later date also gives the Board more time to hear from the community and take into consideration their concerns and questions, said Board president Ronnie Konner. The hearing had been scheduled to take place on Monday, April 27, which will still be held as a regular school board meeting.

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A brief but fierce storm squall passed through Livingston on Tuesday afternoon, April 21. Shown here, it took down a tree at 29 Grand Terrace, which blocked the roadway in the area of North Mitchell Avenue. CJM Photo

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