The Woman, the Legend, Her Name is Stephannie Lennon

The+Woman%2C+the+Legend%2C+Her+Name+is+Stephannie+Lennon

Margaret Stavrinadis, Staff Writer

Stephannie Lennon is a rising hero that has emerged through the horrors of quarantine. She has done everything for the community that she loves, and now it’s time to take a deeper look into this superhero’s secret identity.  

Stephannie Lennon, 33, resides here in Lindenhurst with her family including her husband Chris and 7 children. She’s mother to one boy and six girls- Ryan who is 13, Vanessa who is 10, Julianna who is 8, Leigha who is 6, Samantha who is 5, and Taylor who is 2- but her family doesn’t stop there. Also included in the Lennon clan are her lovely dogs Chewy (Chewbacca) and Millie, her cat Chicken, and her 2 guinea pigs named Snowball and Piglet. She works at Munis Coffee Joint, 35th Street Family Deli, as well as the Riptides family grill. Stephannie just recently started to work at Munis, after being a stay-at-home mom for 11 years, but even before that she was a NY State EMT, and volunteer at the Lindenhurst Fire Department. She even has her own little business called Basket Bunnies Gift Baskets and Sweet Shop, designing little chocolate creations and gift baskets for all of her customers. 

When asked what it’s like to have such a big family, not to mention a responsibility to her community, she gave a truly heartwarming response. She replied, “At times it can be chaotic, but it’s amazing to show my children how just being kind and helpful to your community can make such a huge impact and difference, even when you think it’s not.” Stephannie is such a role model for this town, going further to say, “just purchasing an item for someone, such as a cup of coffee or a sandwich, can make such a huge difference in their life without you even thinking about it.” Stephannie shows us that being kind is a domino effect. She states “that’s all it takes for others to also jump in and want to help and be kind.” Her big heart is undoubtedly an amazing asset to this community.

People across Lindenhurst marvel at her drive for this community. Stephannie’s secret is that her unrelenting motivation is simply a reflection of her love for the town. She states that it’s a “beautiful feeling” to see her community prosper; she loves supporting the other local businesses in this town, and feels that showcasing them is great! The Shopping Local in Lindenhurst page on Facebook is a favorite of hers, saying that the page “has been such a wonderful page for our local businesses and those who want to showcase what they have to offer our community, but may not be able to afford purchasing ads and such every week”. 

Stephannie has helped this community in so many ways, but she says she’s the proudest when she sees the community help each other. Watching her town come together for someone is truly special to her. Whether it’s collecting items for the holidays and helping with bills for families, Stephannie is always ready to help people in need. She frequently partners with the Lindenhurst Memorial Library, and of that she states, “… they asked if we could reach out to the community and try and raise money for one of the little free libraries around town – to being able to raise $1600 plus in the matter of hours for the Lindenhurst little free libraries.” Such a small act of kindness created something so much grander, and Stephannie raised over $45,000 in less then 3 months for the businesses during the pandemic- all through gift cards her Facebook group, The Shopping Local, includes on the Lindenhurst page. 

Stephannie says there’s more to come for the community, and when asked about her next project, Stephannie said that she wants to hold clean ups, events, and help those in need. She also has plans for the holiday season with Bob Wetter, who’s passion for helping people aligns with her own. They are planning on collecting items for the holidays like toys and food to, in Stephannie’s words, “provide families with a wonderful holiday.”

This strong, independent, hard-working, woman with such a big heart has impacted this community in so many creative ways. She is definitely the definition of a superhero, a role model, and a Lindy legend. We all love you Stephannie, keep up the great work!