“The SVdP was a first responder in the wake of this tragedy on Staten Island, N.Y., on site even before FEMA or the Red Cross were on the scene” writes Roger Playwin, Chief Executive Officer SVDPUSA. He continues…
Some 30 to 50 Vincentians, representing about 12 conferences in the area, came together and, so far, they have helped thousands with basic necessities and supplies such as bathroom tissue, toothpaste, paper towels, etc., as well as critical emergency funds for shelter.
SVdP also mobilized the HOPE vehicle. Standing for “Help Our People Eat,” HOPE is a specially equipped 42-foot-long mobile kitchen. On average, Vincentians were serving up to 300 people every day through the vehicle, for more than 6,300 meals since HOPE was first brought to the site. Seen in the photo (right) are volunteers from the Fox 5 TV station in New York, who came out to Staten Island to help serve food to people in need. Joining them for a day were celebrity chefs Clemenza Caserta, Jr., and Rob Burmeister, both of whom live on Staten Island.
One outstanding example of individual outreach came from a Vincentian on Staten Island, a landscaper who has been running his business at the same time he has been addressing the diverse needs of his neighbors who were affected by the storm. One family in his area with an autistic child had moved all of their child’s specialty learning toys and tools to their car to try to escape the storm’s impact. Just as they were preparing to leave for safer ground, the storm hit full force. Their car, along with all the items in it, were swept away. Our Vincentian used funds which had been entrusted to him by some neighboring conferences to replace all of the child’s lost items. He also learned of another family that had lost everything on the first floor of their home to flooding. He brought several of his landscaping trucks so all of their remaining items could be brought to a storage unit for safekeeping — which he also helped pay for. Now, he and the other Vincentians with whom he serves want to move on to more of a case management mode, helping people on a case-by-case basis to put their lives back together again.
The stories of caring go on and on, and are very typical of the outstanding compassion and organization that have been the hallmarks of disaster relief by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. We are one of the few organizations providing assistance to victims of disasters long after the news cameras and the public have moved on to the next story.
Needless to say, your continuing support of our Domestic Disaster Relief Fund is still very much needed and much appreciated:
DONATE NOW to the Domestic Disaster Relief Fund
Thanks and God bless,
Roger Playwin
Chief Executive Officer
Tags: Disasters, Sandy, SVDP
