Lax retailer, eatery team up to support veterans

Edgewood-based Lacrosse Unlimited and The Pizzeria of NY, with various locations in Suffolk County, are teaming up to support local veterans.

They have partnered to create and sell a lacrosse swim trunk featuring slices of pizza, and are donating a portion of the proceeds to the United Veterans Beacon House in Bay Shore.

Beacon House analyzes the needs of local veterans, offering support for those coping with homelessness, physical disabilities, PTSD, mental health issues, and addiction. Founded in 194, the organization provides a “hands-on approach” with case management, transportation, counseling, and housing, according to Lacrosse Unlimited.

“We don’t have the expertise to directly lend a hand to those individuals who have sacrificed so much for us,” Lacrosse Unlimited Creative Director Rob Rimmer said in a statement. “But we do we have the opportunity to donate to those who can help, and we see Beacon House as the perfect outlet to do so.”

The partners say the initiative gives back and to Beacon House, where donations support 500 residents and hundreds more who are at-risk and in crisis in the community.

“It is hard to conceptualize the different struggles our veterans face on an individual basis,” said Rimmer. “Those heroes who put their lives on hold aren’t appreciated the way they should be after returning from service, and it is an honor for us to have the opportunity to raise awareness and provide support in regard to this issue.”

“Our goal at the pizzeria is always to support the communities that have supported us and made it possible to open four locations in our first 18 months,” Cliff Weinstein, partner of the pizzeria group, said in a statement.

The group has locations in Bayport, Islip, Lake Grove and Bay Shore

“We are fortunate to have great friends at Lacrosse Unlimited to partner with and make an impact in the veteran community,” Weinstein added. “We tremendously respect our nation’s veterans and collectively, with our community, seek to enhance their lives in any way we can.”