New York Real Estate Journal spearheads donation efforts for victims of Hurricane Sandy

Following the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the New York Real Estate Journal (NYREJ) and our neighboring tenants at 17 Accord Park Dr. jumped into action collecting food, supplies, and the necessities for the victims in need on Long Island. NYREJ employee Stephen Hopkins and myself set out on November 13 and chose to deliver our supplies to St. Mary's Church on Long Beach. As we set off on the 5-hour drive in our donation laden truck from our offices in Norwell, Mass., which had been practically unscathed during the storm, we first noticed the destruction left behind by Sandy in southern Rhode Island and Connecticut. What we had watched on the national news was now becoming reality. New York City, a city that had never failed to put butterflies in my stomach, was dark and gray. As we drove onto Long Island things started looking better; that was until we reached Exit 10 of the Meadowbrook Parkway. Our truck came to a stop as we waited in line to get through a police barrier. I rolled down my window and told the police officer our purpose and destination. When his eyes saw our load of supplies, he let us through immediately. Driving onto Long Beach, we truly grasped nature's power: Boats and docks in parking lots, seaweed and sand in the streets, shattered trees lining the roads, and entire buildings gone. Cranes were working to collect the rubble into a trash pile the size of two football fields where it looked as though a beach club had once stood. As we pulled up to the St. Mary's Church parking lot, a nice older man named Ronnie told us where to park. As he helped Stephen and I unload the supplies, he told us he had been working at the community center for the last 10 days and that he had lost his home and its contents during the storm. The people at the community center were very appreciative of our efforts. We drove away from the shelter feeling better that we helped, but also a bit helpless in the fact that these people needed more help than we could give. All the people in the Tri-State area are working hard and they will get the region back to its greatness again. But they still need help. For more information on how you can lend a hand, please visit http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy Katie Falcone is a publisher with the New York Real Estate Journal, Norwell, Mass.