Delivering relief after Hurricane Sandy

November 4–6 · The first bags, then a collection hub

The November 5 appeal reported approximately 100 bags of supplies picked up the previous evening for Midland, Red Hook and Breezy Point. A second notice established Calvary–St. George’s Anderson Hall as a collection point and adjusted the requested goods as needs changed.

By November 6, the Gramercy Park Block Association reported that more than 500 bags of supplies had been sent. The collection effort was also changing: alongside donated goods, the Block Association began arranging bulk purchases of needed items at low cost.

The parish hall became a collection point

By November 9, 2012, the Block Association reported thousands of bags and boxes gathered at Calvary–St. George’s. The Block Association worked with local first responders and Police Academy recruits to assess needs and distribute supplies.

Deliveries across the city

That update described fifteen police vans carrying supplies to Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens, including Midland, Red Hook, Coney Island and Breezy Point. By November 19, the reported total had reached eighteen van and truck loads.

Nearby needs mattered too

Supplies also went to the East 6th Street Community Center and to Kenmore Hall and the Cecil Hotel. The November 9 account explained that the two residences needed replenishment after supporting residents affected by the outage and evacuation.

Beyond the first deliveries

The Block Association’s appeals soon turned to Thanksgiving meals and help with longer-term recovery. Its neighborhood contacts continued to help organize support for the storm-affected communities beyond Gramercy.

A year later · Twenty-two vans and continuing help

Arlene Harrison’s October 2013 retrospective put the wider effort at twenty-two vans, plus four pickup trucks replenishing supplies at Kenmore Hall and the Cecil Hotel. It also recorded continuing support for schools, housing organizations and people rebuilding after the storm.

The Block Association had circulated volunteer opportunities as well as collecting goods. Its November 15, 2012 notice connected prospective volunteers with community kitchens, cleanup groups and distribution centers, while cautioning that local needs and coordinators could change.