Stuff the bus relief aid

HARRIMAN — Community efforts to help Hurricane Sandy victims in need continues on Saturday, Nov. 8, with a “Support Sandy Sufferers/Fill the Bus” drive sponsored by the Monroe-Woodbury School District and the Monroe Girl Scout Service Unit from 8 to 11 a.m. at Sapphire Elementary School in Harriman.

The donation drive follows an organized effort held at St. Patrick’s Church in Highland Mills on Thursday to collect a variety of sundry items and cleaning materials for in need on Staten Island, among the many areas hardest hit by Sandy’s wrath.

Girl Scouts, school representatives and volunteers will be ready to accept donations and quickly sort them for transport to affected areas to assist families in need, according to Tanya Woods, the service unit’s volunteer chair.

The Monroe-Woodbury School District is providing a school bus and a driver to get donations to a designated drop-off location on Saturday afternoon, helping to ensure items are available to those in need in a timely fashion. Its administrative cabinet (building principals and administrators) will donate the bus fuel to make the roundtrip journey, said Monroe-Woodbury School District Superintendent Edward Mehrhof on Tuesday.

“People have been asking us how they can help,” Mehrhof said. “Let’s fill that bus.”

‘It could easily be us’

The donations will be given directly to Girl Scout Service Units in affected areas for quick distribution.

“We have to look out for each other and we have to rely on each other,” said Woods. “We need to teach our children that the smallest thing can mean so much.”

Woods said many people have come to her asking how they can assist victims.

“There are many people who want to help but don’t know how to help,” she said. “And some of the items will stay local for those who have been displaced locally.”

Sapphire Elementary School Principal Karen Brock said this effort to help others reinforces the goodness of people.

“We’re all in this together,” said Brock. “It’s our community, it’s our family. We’re giving back. For those who are fortunate enough ‘to have,’ we have to give a jump start to those who lost.”

Brock expects donation drop-off locations to be in place at all of the district’s school buildings, to make it as easy as possible to the community to help others.

“We reach out when we see people in need,” she added. “We want to be able to help. We know it could easily be us.”

- Nancy Kriz