Friday, July 18, 2025
The Cedarhurst-based Veterans Farmers Market has a new, permanent home at the former Inwood Buccaneer Athletic Club building, in Lawrence.
In May 2020, Syd Mandelbaum, founder and chief executive officer of Rock and Wrap It Up!, created the market as a place for veterans to shop and help reduce their exposure to Covid-19.
Rock and Wrap It Up! is an award-winning anti-poverty think tank based in Cedarhurst that researches and nurtures potential sources of food for people in need.
“We conducted the Veterans Farmers Market, until this place was available, in my driveway when the weather was good, and when it was inclement we were at the Five Towns Community Center,” Mandelbaum said.
The celebration of the new facility included a ribbon-cutting on June 19, with citations presented by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Hempstead Town Councilwoman Melissa “Missy” Miller.
“Missy Miller, who‘s an old friend, mentioned that the Buccaneers Clubhouse was available,” Mandelbaum said. “Missy went to work, and because of her, we became the recipient of this building.”
Volunteer Pat Alesia was a general in the New York Army National Guard, where he served for 27 years. He became a member of Lawrence-Cedarhurst American Legion Post 339 when Mandelbaum was the commander, which was how he found out about the market.
“We’ve been doing it for almost six years, and I love it — for me it’s a great way to start the day,” Alesia said. “I’m helping veterans in need and then community members. We’re in good shape here.”
Construction on the building began last November, and it was finished and officially opened for business in May.
“It’s become such a blessing for the community, but more importantly, a place for my veterans to have a social moment,” Mandelbaum added. “Many of them are over 80 and don’t have family. They can sit and have a cup of coffee, a little scotch and just sit and talk and have a place to go.”
Veterans are welcome at the new market, at 275 Lawrence Ave., on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m., and community members in need are invited to shop from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“We absolutely felt they would enjoy this, and we know it’s going to grow,” Mandelbaum said. “We’re next to a low-income project, and people have already started coming. We’re very welcoming and we have great items here, and God bless Missy Miller.”
Local businesses the Bagelry, Costco, Crawfords, Long Island Cares, Trader Joe’s and Wall’s Bakery donate the food.
Alesia said that the new building is “100 percent better” than the old, impermanent arrangement, and that coming to the building “takes a lot of weight off your shoulders.”
“You know you’re going to get here, park the car, get inside the air-conditioning and good lighting, a roof on our heads and the support of the community,” he added. “We especially appreciate all of the efforts of Missy for making this happen.”
Alesia said he believed that being a part of the new market is a “win-win situation,” because he helps veterans and others in need while having a good time doing it.
“My favorite part is once we get everything set up and offloaded, we have a little area where we sit, have coffee and commiserate,” he said. “It’s like a club, almost, and I enjoy that.”
He said he was looking forward to maintaining what the volunteers are doing, and helping to serve as many people as possible while helping the community of veterans.
Commander of the Lawrence-Cedarhurst American Legion Post 339 Marianela Lazana Plaza, came to the United States at age 8, from San Antonio, Chile. She enlisted in the Marines in 2002, after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“This country gave me dreams,” Lazana Plaza said. “It gave me the opportunity to own a car, graduate high school, apply for colleges, something I never would have in Chile, and it even gave me the opportunity to serve in the military.”
She said that having the pantry available for the community in need is amazing, and that helping people is one of her passions.
“If I could do this every day, then I would do it every single day,” Lazana Plaza said. “I would love to see this expand, and to get more veterans in here.”
