Valley Streamers pitch in on Sandy relief

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, people across the Greater New York area have been pitching in, donating clothes, food, money and time to those in need. People have been stepping up on the South Shore of Long Island to help those who have lost everything from the storm, and Valley Stream is no different.

Village of Valley Stream

On Nov. 10, the Village of Valley Stream held a food and clothing drive at the Village Green where non-perishable food items, toiletries and new or gently used blankets and outerwear were accepted. 

Although dozens of village officials and employees attended the drive, Mayor Ed Fare said it was Deputy Village Clerk Rich DeAngelis and Kathy Bogle, secretary to the Board of Trustees, who orchestrated it. Members of the World of Difference Club from Memorial Junior High School and Boy Scouts from Valley Stream Troop 116 helped out village officials with the drive.

DeAngelis started setting up for the event at 8 a.m., but it wasn’t scheduled to start until noon. However, that didn’t stop people from bringing their donations down early, he said.

Fare was nervous about the turnout for the drive, but when he pulled into the parking lot a half hour before it was supposed to start, he saw huge piles of donations. At the end of the day, Fare added, three and a half dump trucks full of items were collected.

Those items were divided into five equal piles and were delivered to American Legion Post 854 in Valley Stream, Blessed Sacrament Church, Holy Name of Mary Parish, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and Bethlehem Assembly of God. Fare said the items were sent to the five organizations because each of them already have working food pantries or outreach centers, and the ability to distribute goods to those in need.

Sip This

There has also been a food, clothing and toiletry drive at Sip This on Rockaway Avenue since Sandy hit. Co-owner David Sabatino said the response from the community has been great as more than 350 bags of goods have been collected in less than two weeks.

Sabatino has made several trips to deliver the items to neighboring communities that were hit especially hard, including East Rockaway, Island Park and Freeport.