Val's Needy Family Fund

Valentino “Val” Nardo was a beloved local community leader and lifelong crusader against hunger. 

Val was a native Delawarean, born in Wilmington on February 19, 1919, son of Fiore Santo Nardo and Maria Rose Gioffre Nardo. He proudly served his country as a Quartermaster in the US Army during World War II. In civilian life, Val made his career as a barber owning and operating The Hairtaker, a popular barbershop, for 20 years until retirement. 

Val also supported the Meals on Wheels program sponsored by the Newark Senior Center, providing hot, nutritious meals to the homebound. For his many years of selfless service to the community, Val was twice honored with the prestigious Jefferson Award, most recently in 2007. In the early 1970s, he was also named Delaware Man of the Year by then-Senator, Joe Biden.

In 1968, Val founded his Needy Family Fund. He provided food to thousands of people over the years and encouraged many others to take up the important work of assisting the less fortunate. What started as 10 food baskets has grown into food deliveries valued at over $5,000 each year, a storage warehouse, and assistance to churches and agencies such as the Meals on Wheels program. His legacy and memory will continue to inspire others in feeding the hungry by having the Needy Family Fund become a treasured part of the Newark Area Welfare Committee.