Community

"My focus is always on the animal because the animal is our client. That is who we are here for," Sprague told us. "We are here for them, to protect them, make sure they are getting into the right homes and that those homes they are getting into are their forever homes."

"They helped me in the darkest of times," a former Retreat client shared. "I happened upon their doorstep very scared, anxiety ridden, dazed and without a clue of how to go about getting protection from my spouse."

All of a sudden, we heard a faint noise coming from the south end of the harbor, the area where we turn in to dock. A powerboat appeared in the twilight and it wasn't going 5 MPH, the usual sanctioned speed in the harbor, but full tilt.

"In recent months, because of COVID, Valerie hasn't been able to be at the shelter and care for the dogs. So, she came up with the idea to collect jars of peanut butter," Gabriella Rose told us.

"As the pandemic raged, and the food pantry lines kept growing, we simply had to do something to help," Tracy Mitchell, Bay Street's Executive Director said. "It felt like an obvious choice to be sure our neighbors were receiving basic food necessities."

"The overwhelming life challenges that we as a community are facing have been exacerbated by the additional stressors associated with COVID-19, making FSL's programs a lifeline for many Long Islanders," Karen Boorshtein told us.

I love autumn. I love the leaves turning those amazing colors, with every tree a genuine living pop art exhibit.

"Mom and dad knew nothing about retail. At first, it was tough, but after a while they got the hang of it," Lisa Field told us about her parents Rose and Phil Bucking, who purchased the Variety Store in 1970.

While many of the traditional East End All Hallows' Eve festivities have been canceled this year, there are still plenty of fun ways to celebrate Halloween.

"It's really to be a partner with the village and the other community organizations to see that the whole village thrives as best as it can," Bishop told us about the Sag Harbor Partnership.