September 7, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 Area The Atlantic Stewardship Bank BEACH (Bank Employees Assisting CHarities) Committee recently collected food to help replenish the shelves of a local food pantry. Summer is not the normal season for food Atlantic Stewardship Bank helps fill food pantry drives, but with the local economy remaining sluggish, donations have been down at local food pantries. Bank associates were asked to make donations of food pantry staples such as canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, peanut butter, pasta, rice, and cereal. The response was great, with 65 bags of groceries collected from the bank’s 13 branch locations. The food was donated to The Center for Food Action located in Englewood. Founded in 1976, the Center for Food Action in New Jersey has as its mission, “preventing hunger and homelessness and improving the lives of individuals and families living in poverty.” To this end, CFA provides emergency food packages, rental and utility assistance, counseling, advocacy, and other essential services to people in need who are living in northern New Jersey. To learn more, visit www.cfanj.org. ASB Associates Diane Kerner, tithing administrator; and June Nienhouse, receptionist. The Cranberry Stethoscope program was recently established in memory of Dr. Michael Lippe, former director of the Good Samaritan Hospital Emergency Department. The first cranberry-colored stethoscopes were presented to the late August graduates of the Rockland Community College’s paramedic class. Eleven graduates, including Kyle Black, Rory Brannigan, Edward Fox, Vito LaVilla, Ana Molina, Matthew Mulvany, Brandon Smith, Abraham Taub, Elyokem Ungar, Michael Will, and Tiffany Williams received their certification along with a distinctive stethoscope. Taub, who spoke on behalf of his class, thanked Suzanne Lippe, wife of Dr. Michael Lippe, for the precious gift. “I think it was a very good choice because the stethoscope is probably the one and only piece of equipment usually not provided by the company or shared from partner to partner, yet it is also one of the most important and most-used diagnostic tools in the pre-hospital setting,” Taub said. The cranberry stethoscopes will be an Cranberry Stethoscope gift is tribute to doctor annual gift to RCC graduation paramedics. Suzanne Lippe explained that her husband always carried a cranberry-colored stethoscope because he believed it was less likely to be stolen. Hudson Valley Paramedic Association President Walter Dusseldorp delivered the commencement speech. His message to the new graduates was to ensure that they are going to take each emergency response seriously, fight off complacency, and make a difference. “Dr. Mike S. Lippe has been a great friend to emergency services and even more instrumental in support of paramedics,” Dusseldorp added. “Mike’s passion for medicine both in pre-hospital and emergency room settings was event in ways that are rarely seen anymore. Mike always took his time explaining complex procedures to his patients or answer any question a paramedic might have had about a patient presenting condition.” HVPA is a not for profit association in support of professional development of fellow paramedics and students. Visit www. myhvpa.org for additional information.