This weekend, I was able to help out in a few ways. I was able to do this with people I care about and also witnessed many breathtaking displays of goodwill.
Saturday:
I spent Saturday with my friend Sharon and Chris helping out in my neighborhood. We brought MREs (meals ready to eat) to disabled residents of high-rise project buildings who hadn't been able to leave their apartments for close to a week.
Sunday:
In the morning, Sharon and I headed to the Staten Island Ferry terminal with backpacks full of supplies. We joined a large group (1200) of runners and all boarded the ferry with the intent of running supplies into various locations on Staten Island as well as lending a hand wherever it was necessary.
We delivered our loads of supplies to a temporary shelter that was located in a high school. After spending some time there assisting in organizing donations, we headed to the East Shore to help with clean up. Once there, we saw devastation that was unreal. There were foundations washed clear of the houses that once sat on them, homes completely destroyed, and pieces of lives strewn all over. It's bad.
We left Staten Island in the afternoon so Sharon could catch a train back to where she was staying in Connecticut. I had one more thing I wanted to do for the weekend, which was to make and give food to help those at the Bowery Mission, a shelter that is located only blocks from my apartment. Friends Russ and Sunshine were kind enough to give me a ride to Costco for supplies.
Jeremy then met us at my apartment, where we spent a few hours assembling 200 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Once done, we dropped them off at the shelter, where it looked like they'd probably begin handing them out right away.
It was a good weekend, but I'm well aware that recovery is going to take many months. That's where my next idea comes in. Stay tuned for my next post...
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