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In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, people have been coming from far and wide to provide relief to those still reeling after the massive hurricane. Over 700,000 customers in the Northeast were reported powerless last week. Residents left with flooded homes and cars, faced life without power in freezing temperatures. Hurricane Sandy shut down one of the largest oil refineries on the East Coast adding insult to injury for an already vulnerable community and further discouraging attempts to transport supplies to the hardest hit areas.
Roughly 400 miles away, Amanda and Peter Ayala heard the desperate cries of thousands stranded in Sandy’s disaster zone. Amanda Ayala, whose husband is a native of Staten Island, resides in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife, knew they had to come to the aid of his hometown, but how? Amanda and Peter began collecting goods to deliver to the neighborhoods devastated by the monster storm.
Local businesses caught word of their charitable efforts and felt compelled to offer additional resources. CareersinGear.com and Penske Logistics came forward to help ensure the courteous cargo reaches its intended destination as soon as possible. Thanks to the generous contributions of CareersinGear.com and Penske Logistics, the Ayalas had a truck and more than enough fuel to make sure the donated goods arrived in New York.
“Sandy caused widespread damage and people lost so much. We delivered everything from personal care items to clothing and baby food to those who needed it the most,” said Amanda Ayala. “We are deeply grateful for all the donations we received. It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone extend a helping hand.”
In Sandy’s aftermath, partnerships were birthed in an effort to begin the recovery. Lynda Thomas, part of the Agency Relations team at CareersinGear.com worked closely with Ron Schwartz, director of staffing services with Penske Logistics, to coordinate the expense of hauling every item to the Northeast.
“What the Ayalas did is remarkable. Fortunately, here in Norfolk, we missed the brunt of Hurricane Sandy. We were saddened to learn of the devastation this storm caused and gladly accepted an opportunity to help families put together the pieces left behind,” said Chris Baker, Vice President/General Manager of The Employment Guide. “Our partnership with Penske Logistics provided transportation and fuel for the thousands of goods collected for Sandy’s victims.”
As winter storm Athena threatened to make delivering goods an even more challenging feat, the relief effort went off without a hitch. After collecting and packing up all the supplies, the truck headed to New York on Saturday. Given the outpour of support, another trip may be planned for Thanksgiving. Superstorm Sandy was indeed powerful: she left her mark along the East Coast but also managed to get close enough to touch the hearts of people faraway from her destruction.
Nice work in helping those in such need after super storm Sandy.
I’m a class A driver and I only wish I could have helped in the clean up efforts and in other ways help was extended to those people on the east coast.
I’m in California and I was not able to be there. Thank you for being there!!!!
Ed
Thanks, Ed!