The Village of Great Neck Plaza is holding a charity drive in an effort to spread some holiday cheer to residents of the South Shore affected by Hurricane Sandy.
New and unwrapped toys, winter coats, blankets, toiletries and baby items are being accepted at a Village Hall drop-off box until Dec. 21. Donations will be given to the St. Rose of Lima Parish Outreach Program in Massapequa Park, which will then distribute the goods to storm victims in need.
“We were getting calls almost from the start when Sandy happened,” said Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender. “People had seen what was going on at the South Shore areas, knowing they were hit bad and wanting to know if we would do something.”
The village had challenges of its own to cope with in the weeks after Sandy, Celender said, including extended power outages and the clearing of storm debris.
But now that normalcy has been restored to Great Neck Plaza, Celender said, the Plaza’s residents were eager to help those still coping with damage from Sandy.
Celender said she floated the idea of a drive to Massapequa Park Mayor James Altadonna Jr., who greeted it enthusiastically.
“I asked him if we could put something together and he said we’d welcome it,” Celender said.
The village chose to donate to St. Rose of Lima due to its close relationship with affected Long Islanders, according to Celender.
“We kind of wanted to make a direct link between here and a South Shore community,” she said. “They know the families that are hit hard… this way we’re giving it directly to an organization that knows the people.”
The village had collected six boxes of donations as of Dec. 13, Celender said.
Sandy relief efforts have taken in hundreds of millions of dollars since the storm forced mass evacuations, cut off power for much of the New York metropolitan area and New Jersey and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes.
Wednesday’s star-studded 12-12-12 relief concert in Madison Square Garden reportedly raised over $30 million dollars.
And according to a Daily Beast report, the American Red Cross has collected over $170 million, which it is spending on food and shelter, relief supplies, physical and mental health services and case work for storm victims.
