Hurricane Relief

It has been nearly two months since Hurricane Sandy shook the Staten Island Community. At the time, I was in Florida, over 1,000 miles from my hometown. It didn't stop me from keeping up with every second of news coverage, though, and working to help victims through my amazing friends and family.

While I was stranded in Florida (because of two cancelled flights), my family took on the duty of collecting clothing, food, and supplies to deliver to nearby shelters. They made sure to spread the word of where items were needed, too. In addition, my fellow queens were volunteering across the island. The minute my flight landed, I began planning out how I would help. I went to various clothing drives and other donation centers to sort items for distribution.

Zion Lutheran Church held an enormous drive for clothes & other items. When I went to volunteer there with Miss Richmond County's Outstanding Teen, Alexa Moley, Alyssa DePaolis, my brother, A.J., and his friend Danny, we were told we would be transporting all of the clothing to other shelters on big yellow school buses. With the tremendous amount of volunteers, we were able to create a smooth assembly line to pass the bags to the bus. It was such an amazing feeling to see so many people working together.

Many people from the area came to ask for donations, either for themselves or for someone close to them. I searched for the right sizes of clothing for each person. As I watched them open the bags and take out clothing, I realized that this may be all they will have right now. These people were literally rebuilding their lives one shirt at a time. It was heartbreaking, but I'm glad to know that we could at least do something small to help.

By the time we finished emptying Zion Lutheran's gym, we had completely filled two buses! I can't say enough about how proud I am of the outpouring of support for those affected in our neighborhood.

I also had the chance to support a good friend, Dana Telese, as she held a blood drive for The New York Blood Center. With so much blood lost due to the Hurricane, it was important to get as many people as we could to donate. Dana is such a sweet girl and I was happy to support her as she did such a great deed.

Even with so much time passed, the devastation is still evident. I feel the need to remind everyone - the hurt is not over and Staten Island is still rebuilding. However, I know that we are strong enough to do this. In the past two months, I've seen many fundraising events and toy drives for those effected and I am so glad that I've been able to be a part of those, too. Staten Island is showing what a strong community it is and, once again, I am proud to be able to represent this borough. Please, don't forget about those who may have nothing this holiday season. We are all in this together and we need to help our neighbors. Staten Island Strong - forever.