Adults can learn English with home or classroom instruction or take high school equivalency classes leading to a diploma, from the Western Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services. Classes are free of charge to eligible students. Registration is in progress. Most classes begin Feb.23. For details, call the adult education office at 631-667-6000, ext. 4.

The Immigrant and Refugee Services office of Catholic Charities of Long Island in Amityville provides several services. They include English language classes, job search and workforce training, resume preparation, community resource searches, SNAP application assistance, school enrollment support, access to medical services, mental health support and information about legal rights. Who is eligible? Refugees, asylees, Iraqis and Afghans with special immigrant visas (SIV), certified victims of trafficking, Cuban and Haitian entrants, parolees and more. For information, call 631-789-5210 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   See the poster attached below.

Refugee Services 2026.pdf

The Yes Community Counseling Center is conducting an online bereavement support group for people grieving the loss of a loved one to substance abuse. The group meets from 7 to 8 p.m. the second Monday of each month via Zoom. To register and receive the Zoom invitation to the group, send an email to licensed clinical social worker Kathleen Coletta at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The Yes Community Counseling Center can be reached at 516-799-3203, ext.127. Its website is yesccc.org.  See the attached flyer.

Bereavement Group Flyer 2025.pdf

Town of Huntington residents 60 and older who are homebound can apply to receive meals delivered to their homes. The program makes one delivery a week that includes five frozen microwaveable meals, milk, bread and produce. There is a two- to three-month waiting period to get started. The suggested voluntary anonymous contribution is $3 a meal.

Information: Call 631-446-3783.

Island Harvest’s Operation: Hope program provides food, peer support and other services to veterans, active-duty personnel and military families experiencing food insecurity. If needed, the program has a monthly delivery service. The program also conducts a mobile market from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 79 Middleville Rd, Northport. 

Information: Call Paulie La Rocco, mobile market coordinator, at 631-873-4775, ext. 123 (office), or at 516-988-3279 (cellphone), or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Also call Karina Hayes, veterans and children's programs supervisor, 631-873-4775, ext. 121 (office), or at 516-967-3414 (cellphone) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Huntington Station Public Library is a Passport Acceptance Facility. It will review new applications and mail them to the Department of State for processing. The service does not process renewals. Call 631-421-5053, ext. 140, for details and to make an appointment.

The Social Brain Medical Needs Closet, a Long Island nonprofit organization, collects and redistributes unused medical supplies such as diapers, chucks, pullups, ostomy supplies, wound care supplies, tracheostomy and vent supplies, feeding tubes, incontinence supplies, Foley catheters and other items. For details or to donate, call Ira Dunne at 631-793-4311.  

-- Starting in October, the maximum rate for unemployment insurance benefits will increase to $869, according to Legal Servics of Long Island. The nonprofit organization's Public Benefits Unit is available to help individuals make appeals or handle overpayment issues.

-- Legal Services of Long Island's Public Benefits Unit provides legal help to people who experience problems with public benefits programs administered by the Department of Social Services. They include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Safety Net programs, Medicaid, food stamps, child care assistance, the Home Energy Assistance Program, emergency shelter for the homeless and other emergency programs.

For all of these issues, call Legal Services of Long Island at 631-369-1112. Interpreters are available.

Eligible Town of Huntington homeowners can make improvements to bring housing up to code. Grants and deferred-payment no-interest loans are available for new windows and doors, heating equipment, handicapped accessibility, structural improvements, roofing, plumbing and cesspool work, insulation and energy conservation. Applicants must meet income and other requirements. For details, call the Huntington Community Development Agency at 631-351-2881.

Former performing musicians are offering free guitar lessons designed for senior citizens who are beginners. Bring your own acoustic or electric guitar (with practice amp) and a notebook. Instructors will guide students through the basics of chords, strumming and simple songs. Lessons are conducted in a relaxed and supportive way. Participants should have or sign up for a "program card" at the Huntington Senior Center.

When and where: 2 to 3:30 p.m. Mondays at the Town of Huntington Senior Center, 423 Park Ave.

Information: Call 631-351-3253.

New York State's 2026 Cooling Assistance Benefit helps eligible households buy and install a home air conditioner or fan. If you are eligible, you may receive one benefit per applicant household to help your home stay cool. For details, go to https://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/ (Scroll down to Cooling Assistance Benefit.) Or call 631-853-8825. 

Look through job openings at various regional employers, including jobs for summer. Go to https://rb.gy/yuz9ht on the internet.

Do you need a helping hand? Local youth ages 14 to 18 are available for babysitting, garage cleanouts, gardening, house cleaning, iPhone or computer assistance, yardwork and more. Participants have completed an employment workshop and have been screened. The homeowner is responsible to pay youth for services rendered. Call Project Excel at 631-271-5499 at least a week in advance to discuss use of services.

 Many people with disabilities can obtain a pass that provides free or discounted use to state parks, historic sites and recreational facilities. The Access Pass allows free vehicle entry to most state parks and Department of Environmental Conservation day-use areas. These include boat launch sites, historic sites, arboretums and park preserves; free greens fees at state golf courses; free entrance to state park swimming pools; and discounted camping and cabin rentals at most state campgrounds.

On the internet, go to https://parks.ny.gov/admission/access-pass/default.aspx for information and application forms. Also, call 518-474-2324 during business hours or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Catholic Charities offers counseling for people struggling with emotional challenges and trauma, as well as family, school and behavioral issues. Its clinic in Bay Shore offers individual therapy, group or family therapy, crisis intervention, psychiatric evaluation, medication management. Services are in English or Spanish and are available in person or through telehealth. Call the Catholic Charities clinic at 631-665-6706, ext. 109. The clinic, at 21 Fourth Ave., Bay Shore, accepts Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicare, most third-party commercial insurances, and offers a sliding scale fee in some circumstances.

New York State has announced a new effort to recruit public sector workers, including recently fired federal employees.

The state says it has 7,000 positions available. For information, go to dol.ny.gov.

Specific positions are listed at  https://statejobs.ny.gov/public/vacancyTable.cfm

Are you or anyone you know struggling to make ends meet?  Are you unemployed, homebound and/or disabled? The St. Anthony of Padua Conference of St. Vincent DePaul may be able to help. Our food pantry distributes food two weekends a month and can deliver to people who are homebound. It also assembles birthday boxes for children. In addition, depending on circumstances, we may be able to help with a utility bill, rent, car insurance or car repair. We have clothing and furniture vouchers to use at our local thrift store. Call 516-449-2717 for information. Details remain confidential.

Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip offers several classes and support groups for new or expectant parents. Most are free of charge. Services include "Preparing for Baby" classes, breastfeeding support, mother support groups, infant massage classes, sibling and grandparent classes, and the YoMingo app and online program. For information, click here or call prenatal education coordinator Karen McCumiskey at 631-376-4159.

A nonprofit organization called American Corporate Partners helps post-9/11 military veterans transition to civilian careers. The organization says its mentors help veterans find meaningful employment, and that the average starting salary for individuals who work with an ACA mentor is $90,000. For information, go to acp-usa.org.

Catholic Charities of Long Island has compiled information about the constitutional rights of people who face immigration issues.

For information in English and in Spanish, click on the attachments in this article.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS IN ENGLISH.pdf

Conozca sus Derechos (Espanol) (Know Your Immigration Rights).pdf