Stop & Shop Grocery Stores – Beginning Thursday, March 19, all stores will open from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. daily in order to service only customers who are age 60 and over. The company is taking the step to protect shoppers considered most vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Whole Foods – will open an hour earlier in the morning ( 8am) to accommodate seniors ( 60+) before regular store hours. 

Florida Retirees – A member in West Palm Beach, Florida recommends using PUBLIX and WALMART  INSTACART for ordering food to be delivered to your doorstep. CVS Pharmacy offers the the same service for ordering/delivery of pharmaceuticals.

Winn Dixie – The Winn Dixie Supermarket chain across the southern states will reserve shopping between 8am-9am for seniors and those most at risk of contracting COVID-19. This reserved hour for stores and pharmacies will be in effect Monday – Friday only.

Publix Supermarkets – Publix is another supermarket chain in the southeast. Publix stores and Publix Pharmacies will open early two mornings a week to allow seniors to shop ahead of the crowds. They invite customers age 65+ to shop 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The UTN is requesting that retirees that had any connection to the current location of Northport Middle School, or its previous incarnation as Middleville Middle School/Middleville Junior High School, to please read the attached document, “Reconnecting and Revisiting NMS Environmental Concerns”. It was recently prepared by the School-Community Subcommittee of the Northport – East Northport Board of Education, and requests anyone with connection to Northport Middle School to take part in a Voluntary Occupant Health Survey as outlined in the document. Download the Report. The deadline for taking part in the survey is March 5.

Rose M. Boccia, longtime Head Cook at Northport High School, passed away on January 2. Donations to the VNS Hospice of Suffolk, 505 Main Street, Northport, NY, in her memory, are appreciated.

Social Security Administration sends out a letter every year informing you of how much you will receive for your monthly Social Security payment.  Page 1 itemizes basic payment, the standard deduction for Medicare Part B and the deduction for IRMAA. IRMAA is the amount deducted based on your income as reported on last year’s income tax form.  Northport/East Northport School District is required to reimburse you for the standard Medicare Part B and the IRMAA deductions  from your Social Security benefit. 

Recently, the district sent you a letter, “Open Enrollment”, that discussed medical plan options.  Page 3 of that letter gives instructions on how to get reimbursement for the deductions from your Social Security benefit for Medicare Part B and IRMAA –  If you do not respond by March you will get reimbursed for the Medicare Part B deduction only – losing the reimbursement for IRMAA that you are entitled to. 

For additional information, Contact Dayna West, Empolyee Benefits for the district, at 631-262-6634, or email Fran LaDuca at Laduca@aol.com.