She knew it wouldn’t be possible to sit still.
Superstorm Sandy had struck the East Coast and people needed help and supplies.
Pronto.
Lisa Quanci, an active Haddonfield resident, is a native of the badly devastated Staten Island, and her mother and in-laws still live on the island.
Her brother lives in nearby Parlin, located outside of Sayreville, which was also struck by Sandy.
Luckily, all of her relatives live on high ground and escaped the storm’s wrath, but thousands of others did not emerge unscathed.
Quanci’s home on Mt. Vernon Avenue was without power for a week following the storm, she said.
The Friday after Sandy at 2 p.m., as she sat in the public library using the Internet, she sent out an email to area residents and schools to start a donation drive to help coastal victims.
The decision to begin the drive was “spontaneous,” she said, and by Saturday morning, hundreds of bags filled with needed supplies were piled on her front yard.
Twenty-six volunteers came out to sort and label the bags, and they were delivered to those in need just days later.
The response from residents was fabulous and terrific, she said, and charged her to continue in her efforts.
“It was just phenomenal how it worked out,” she said.
At first, she only planned to fill a car with donations.
In reality, half of an 18-foot box truck was loaded.
“We were really, really fortunate,” Quanci said.
She heard stories about how great the need was for supplies and was to make another trip this week to deliver cleaning supplies such as shovels, rakes and trash bags.
Will there be more efforts?
“Oh definitely,” she responded. “We’re stepping in.”
Borough resident Wanda Ronner saw Quanci’s yard.
“Their yard was piled with bags of donated clothing which she and a group of Haddonfield residents (planned) to deliver,” Ronner said in an email. “How inspiring!”
The trip to the shore certainly wasn’t a breeze.
“We were re-routed twice,” Quanci said.
Seeing the damage so soon after the storm was shocking, she said.
“You don’t expect it,” she added.
Quanci’s high school was transformed into a shelter, homeowners sifted through piles of belongings and houses were in shambles.
“I didn’t think I would be as affected as I was because I had seen it before in other places,” she said.
She planned to make another trip this past Monday, bringing much-needed cleaning supplies along.
While the recovery efforts are still underway, that first spur of the moment experience of helping Sandy victims was a “fulfilling experience,” she said.
“It was meant to be I think,” said Quanci.
