More Stories






For most kids, a trip to the local deli may mean getting a sandwich or a candy bar.
But for Charlotte Scibelli, 10, of Islip, it's now become more than just that.
Scibelli wrote a letter and started a petition for the Maple Street Deli to get a slushy machine.
It's about a five-minute walk from her school and she goes every Friday and on weekends. "Kids can go there after school or they can't go to 7-Eleven because too busy street, and they can make a lot more money there," Scibelli said. Signature by signature, her idea started spreading, with over 50 people signing it.
She says it was not hard to garner signatures. "You just knock on people's door, and it was kind of easy," Scibelli said. "I rode my bike." Scibelli says her petition was part of a school project. She was so excited to hand over the petition to deli owner John Boccone. "I didn't realize there was some passion out there for it," Boccone said. "She just popped in with her dad. She's very quiet and unassuming, but she was holding this well-written letter and it was fun." They got the machine about a month after Scibelli gave the Maple Street Deli the petition. "We'll have two flavors," Boccone said. "We'll change them pretty much every day. It's good to see the kids have some thoughts and ideas of their own."
Scibelli is happy her hard work paid off, especially as the weather gets warmer and kids will soon be done with school. "It feels good because, because I actually did it and I gave it to him and it actually worked," Scibelli said.


More from News 12