Hand in Hand Day

More photos on our Facebook Page.

On Saturday January 17th, volunteers from all over the state came together to participate in LSMNJ Disaster Recovery’s Hand in Hand Day event. In conjunction with the Dr. Martin Luther King National Day of Service, this event benefited two families still recovering from Superstorm Sandy.

The first site brought volunteers from across North Jersey together at a family home in Edison.  St Vincent DePaul Home in a Box in conjunction with the Union County Long Term Recovery Group donated a truck full of new furniture and household goods to the family. Volunteers unloaded the truck, assembled the furniture, and helped to finish decorating the home. One volunteer, Ken Van Dongen, stated it best. “To see that woman, who lost everything and has health concerns with both herself and her child, so appreciative and so thankful…not just for our work, but for everything in her life…. well, the four of us got more out of volunteering than we gave.” The homeowner and her family acknowledged that they would not have been able to have a “finished” home without the volunteers’ efforts.

Volunteers from Central Jersey braved the elements working at the second site in Port Monmouth by the shore.   In temperatures hovering around 18 degrees they unloaded materials, cut lumber, and worked side by side with contractors. Together they built a beautiful new deck that will help extend usable living space for the homeowner still recovering from Superstorm Sandy.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the volunteers, group leaders, team leaders, and the project coordinators for making this day of service event such a success.

If you would like to make someone’s life better, work with the world’s best volunteers, and accomplish great things please register to volunteer with LSMNJ Disaster Recovery.