Superstorm Sandy Relief Efforts Continue

By Shannon Hicks

Newtown resident Jessica Fila began doing what she could to help those in Brooklyn and Staten Island shortly after Superstorm Sandy passed through the region two weeks ago.

“My immediate family still lives in Brooklyn, in Sea Gate actually, and last weekend I drove down with two of my friends, with some gas and other supplies we thought they could use,” Ms Fila, who works at LMT Communications, said on November 7. “We were inspired, and awed, by what we saw,” she said.

Ms Fila contacted LMT president and fellow Newtown resident Judy Fishman before returning to work on Monday, November 5, and Ms Fishman gave Ms Fila and her co-workers permission to receive donations at the 84 South Main Street office.

“The news is spreading like wildfire,” Ms Fila said last week. Among those who quickly responded to the request for items was Mary-Kay Novak, a former LMT employee who opened Your Healthy Pet with her son Ryan in August 2009. “She dropped off bags and bags of dog food,” said Ms Fila.

Donations quickly filled one office at LMT Communications, and items continued to pour in all last week. Ms Fila said she and other volunteers would make trips for at least two weekends. The groups will be traveling to Brooklyn and Staten Island with items that have been dropped off at LMT.

“Staten Island is a big part of our deliveries this week,” Jessica said last Friday morning.

“We are overwhelmed with clothing, but could still use any donations of cleaning supplies, canned pet food, personal hygiene items, and nonperishable food that anyone would like to offer,” she had said.

Last weekend, groups headed from Newtown to two locations. Jenny Abbott-Cole organized a caravan that headed to Staten Island. One car, an SUV, and a pickup truck made it to Sissy’s Angels, a nonprofit charity organization for children in Staten Island. Additional supplies were also delivered to a satellite FEMA location in the New Dorp section of Staten Island (which finally had electricity restored on November 14).

Meanwhile, Ms Fila and a second group of volunteers ran another SUV and a utility van to a large donation site that had been set up at a Christian cultural center in Brooklyn.

In addition to Ms Abbott-Cole and Ms Fila, volunteers last weekend included Geri Cappabianca, Pablo Courtet, Noelle, Paul and Rafe D’Agostino, Sandy Fila, and Fausto Guallpa.

While the response for donations — along with volunteers who helped to sort everything that was delivered to the South Main Street business — has been gratifying, Ms Fila said this week she is definitely going to have to stop the deliveries after this weekend’s runs back to Brooklyn and Staten Island.

“Unfortunately, due to the lack of resources for transportation, we will no longer be accepting donations past this Friday,” she said.

Transport Needed

Deb Sullivan is in a similar situation.

“I had a crazy, tremendous response,” Mrs Sullivan said Wednesday, November 14. Just over a week earlier the Sandy Hook resident, a native of Staten Island, had used her Facebook page to ask friends to consider donations for those in Staten Island who were dealing with the aftereffects of Superstorm Sandy. Mrs Sullivan grew up in Staten Island, and still has a lot of family there.

By early last week, large piles of donations began to fill the driveway at 9 Clearview Road, where Mrs Sullivan and her family live. Large boxes of diapers, piles and piles of paper towels and bottles of bleach, bottles of water and even cartons of Girl Scout cookies were being left, often anonymously, for Mrs Sullivan.

In addition, four local gyms set up collection bins for the effort. Elizabeth Sortino, a friend of Mrs Sullivan’s, donated a few hours to help her friend pick up, sort, and make the deliveries.

Four truck loads later — three coordinated by Mrs Sullivan and delivered to a hub center organized by the borough presidents, and a fourth organized by a friend, Jennifer Stites, that went to The Tunnel To Towers Foundation — Mrs Sullivan finds herself also needing more vehicles to get everything to the people who still need it.

“People have been dropping off items all week,” she said Wednesday afternoon. “It’s still wonderful.

“My mother-in-law has been working to organize a collection among the churches, and Jen arranged to have 1,000 blankets delivered to Tunnel To Towers,” said Mrs Sullivan. “[Jennifer Stites] also arranged for a truck of cleaning supplies, electric heaters, and more blankets to be brought in.”

While items are still being welcomed by the organizations that Mrs Sullivan has been bringing relief items to, her biggest hurdle now is moving the items that are still in storage at her Sandy Hook home.

“I am still accepting donations, but what I really need now is a way to get everything down there,” she said this week.

Anyone who might be able to offer a truck, or know a company that would be willing to share one of its vehicles, is invited to contact Mrs Sullivan at debra@NewtownMediSpa.com. Bob’s Furniture was the first to step up for Mrs Sullivan; one of the furniture company’s drivers donated his time and drove a Bob’s truck to Staten Island on Sunday, November 4.

Donations of nonperishable food, blankets, personal hygiene products including deodorant and toothbrushes, cleaning supplies including mops, brooms and shovels, garbage bags and work gloves, school supplies, and even items for children such as coloring books and crayons, small games and toys are all being accepted. Clothing is not.

“No more clothing, absolutely,” Mrs Sullivan emphasized. “They are just overwhelmed down there. They don’t even need gloves and hats.”