Pizza for Snow Crews

Nassau Executive Bruce Blakeman showed appreciation for the county’s snow crews on Wednesday by bringing a stack of warm pizzas to the Department of Public Works. This gesture followed a significant snowstorm that hit the area recently.

The county executive, who is also a Republican candidate for governor this year, personally thanked the snowplow drivers and delivered 30 pizzas to the hard-working team. Many of these workers had been clearing Nassau’s roads for nearly two days, putting in long hours to get the job done.

The pizzas were sourced from King Humberto’s Pizzeria in Elmont and were part of a fundraiser to honor Nassau County police officer Pamela Espinosa, who allegedly lost her life due to a drunk driving incident involving Matthew Smith late last month.

“This is the least we can do—just to show appreciation for their incredible work,” Blakeman stated during his visit to the pizzeria.

On that same day, over 300 local pizzerias participated in raising funds by donating $5 for each pie sold to support Espinosa’s family. Blakeman used this occasion to express gratitude to the Nassau Stormtroopers while also emphasizing the need to remember the fallen officer and her family.

He highlighted the tough conditions and the relentless work done by the snowplow crews in the past few days. “While most people were comfortably at home, they were out on dangerous roads,” Blakeman remarked.

After distributing the pizzas, Blakeman took a moment to thank the workers, discuss Espinosa’s tragic story, and urged them to think of her family during the meal.

Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti soon joined the effort, bringing an additional 30 pizzas for the crew, making a total of 60 pizzas and contributing at least $300 for Espinosa’s family with the donations.

The response from the crew was overwhelmingly positive. One worker, identifying himself as Kirk, expressed his happiness, especially after the intense days they had faced. “I’m really glad, especially after working so hard lately,” he said.

Kirk, who has spent over 25 years in the field and has weathered many storms, described Monday’s event as particularly challenging. He noted that it took their team more than 50 hours to clear the area, significantly more than the usual 20 hours after a severe storm.

“This was tougher than anything I’d ever done,” Kirk admitted.