Bellmore Lions aid rescue workers Lions Club members help with ground zero relief efforts at NYC warehouse

      In the days after the terrorist attacks, the American Red Cross was flooded by so many blood donors that numerous people were turned away. So many individuals and organizations rushed to provide supplies needed for rescue workers that, after three weeks of collections, reports floated that all supply demands were met.
      Various relief posts, centers and locations were created within hours after the white plumes of smoke and debris engulfed the downtown financial district. Hundreds of firefighters from across the country and the globe and other concerned citizens rallied to New York's call for help at ground zero during the city's most-challenging moment.
      Now, four months later, blood donations are back to their normal levels, many community and school collection drives have been completed, and ground-zero rescue workers are familiar faces. While it is impossible to keep giving all the time, members of the Bellmore Lions Club have found a way to stay involved with relief efforts by donating their time at the World Trade Center Ground Zero Relief warehouse in Manhattan.

Doing the dirty work
      "I needed to do something to feel like a part of it because I feel so helpless sitting at a desk every day," said Bellmore Lions Club member Robert Gibson.
      In September, members of the 20K-2 Lions Club division, which includes all Nassau County chapters, decided they wanted to do something to help. The warehouse was contacted, and every Thursday since then, different Nassau County chapters have rotated and donated time down at the warehouse, but the Bellmore group has been among the most generous in giving their time.
      "We're young and strong," said Bellmore Lions Club President Victor Elefante. "We have an open invitation to go down."
      The warehouse acts as a staging area for supplies, a place where firefighters and rescue workers can stop in before heading out to ground zero to pick up whatever they might need, from masks to boots to deodorant.
      The warehouse, at 304 Spring St., is a converted art studio donated by owner Rhonda Shearer. Inside are metal stock shelves that reach to the ceiling. Steel-toed work boats, batteries, insoles, sweatshirts, toothpaste, eye wash and blankets are some of the many items kept on hand at the warehouse.
       In addition to hundreds of boxes that are stacked in the various corners of the storage facility, there is an eclectic collection of letters, posters, stuffed animals and hand-crafted angels made from all sorts of materials that decorate the warehouse's bulletin boards and desk. Everything that is sent to the warehouse is used in some fashion, including the weirdest donation the warehouse received, a plastic hot dog, which was stuck atop an antenna.
      Volunteers sift through incoming supplies and separate them into categories. Gibson said that, while he was down there, the Lions moved boxes, swept floors and simply did whatever jobs were needed. When Lions Club Vice President John Scalesi and member John Campanaro went, they sorted through boxes of handmade angels that children had sent in and divided them into groups to be shipped to city firehouses.
      "There was everything there you could possibly imagine," said Gibson. "It was very humbling."
      The first day Elefante worked at the warehouse, it was relatively calm. The Lions Club ran supplies over to another facility and helped straighten the shelves. Several rescue workers came in the warehouse and grabbed hats, boots and shirts, and that was enough for Elefante to know he was making a difference.
      "You see guys with grateful faces, and it's nice to know you are helping," he said. "To me, it was the least thing I could do to be available."
      While Elefante was rearranging a shelf, he found a paper flag with the name of Old Field Middle School on it, which is the school where his wife, Suzanne, teaches fifth grade. Elefante said he was shocked, but it proved that donations really do get down there and are used.
      Peter Cutrin, another Lions Club member who went to volunteer at the warehouse, said the best part of the day for him was going down to Nino's restaurant, where the firefighters working at ground zero eat lunch, and sitting and talking with the rescue workers.
      "They saw our hats that said Lions Club volunteer, and we were really welcomed," said Cutrin. "They talked about how finally they are realizing their brethren are gone, but they still have the willpower to go on and find bodies that are still intact. That's very important to them."
      The firefighters also took the Lions Club to some of the firehouses, where they saw posters and letters sent from students around the country offering their support and thanks for the firefighters' hard work.
      "When you see all the letters on the walls from schools, it's incredible," said Elefante. "You gain a whole new respect for guys down there every day."
      Shearer said the Lions Clubs' efforts are unmatched by any other civic group. The volunteers have become a real asset by coming in and doing dirty work for which they receive little recognition.
      "What the Lions Club people are doing is real, and it's tough, and it's ugly, and they're doing it," she said. "The Lions Clubs' dedication is apparent, and it makes a difference. It's not pretty, but it's real."

Exploring operations
      The World Trade Center Ground Zero Relief warehouse fills supply gaps in official government depots. The warehouse makes deliveries directly to ground zero, less than a mile away, to ensure that the desperately needed supplies do not get lost and are brought right to the workers in the middle of the debris. Workers can also stop in and pick up supplies themselves.
      "We're a conduit," said warehouse volunteer Cordelia Roosevelt. "A lot come in on their way to or from ground zero. We are a stepping stone from the world to ground zero and ground zero to the world."
      The warehouse also offers supplies directly to New York Police Department personnel at the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island and to the FBI medical trailer there, which serves 600 police officers. Supply requests have ranged from cough drops to electronic thermometers to blood pressure cuffs and antibiotics.
      "Our main job is to get things Americans want to give to firefighters to the guys at ground zero," said Roosevelt. "Little kids send candy and think they need Hershey Kisses to clean ground zero."
      Every letter that is sent to the warehouse for firefighters is logged, and a thank-you note is written back to all of those who supply return addresses. Many people send items that say "hero" on them, and Roosevelt said that is the coolest stuff. "The generosity has been amazing."
      The warehouse is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Roosevelt said some days, it is really quiet, and the volunteers get to catch up with more mundane tasks. Other days, it is 10 volunteers running around in circles.
      "It's an adventure," she said. "Every day, it's something new with something happening."
      Above all else, Roosevelt said the warehouse needs monetary donations because they have started buying special tools and equipment wholesale. Other needed items include flashlights and respirators. For a complete, up-to-date hot list of needed items, check the warehouse's Web site at www. wtcgroundzerorelief.org.
      For people who have given all they can monetarily, the warehouse can use more volunteers. Roosevelt encourages interested individuals to contact the warehouse directly at (646) 230-1664.
      "So many people want to do something," said Scalesi. "Some people don't have money to give, but they want to do something. By doing this, they can feel good."

Frustration lurks
      Shearer was on a plane to New York that was forced to land in Canada when she first heard of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Shearer had planned to move into her new studio on Spring Street within the month of September, but once the magnitude of the city's crisis sunk in, Shearer's plans changed.
      "It was a question of immediate necessity, and my warehouse was conveniently one block from Canal Street where the check points began," she said.
      Shearer emptied her things already in the warehouse and started collecting supplies for firefighters and rescue workers. She persuaded several companies to donate supplies or sell them to her at cost. But now four months later, with limited personal resources and the expenses of running the warehouse operation coming from her own pocket, Shearer doubts the warehouse will survive.
      "We get no help from the Red Cross," she said. "We are sending out grant proposals, and hopefully we will get donations. We're taking it day to day."
      There is a lot of frustration for Shearer when it comes to the government systems set in place to provide supplies for rescue workers, especially the city's Office of Emergency Management.
      "What I find is these people aren't doing their job, and it's not fair," said Shearer. "The system doesn't help; it tries to hurt. This is my city, and I'm willing to sacrifice personally. Yes, it is worth it to me, but they should do their job."
      One of the biggest contentions Shearer has is that professionals in the field are saying no donations are needed, which she said is an absolute falsehood. Firefighters expressed similar fears to the Bellmore Lions Club members, saying that they worry people will think they have all the supplies they need and stop donating. However, there must be a constant flow of donations to replenish depleting stocks.