The following is a message from Mayor Randy Brown about Towns Helping Towns, from Evesham Township’s website.
Thank you Evesham! We successfully pulled off Evesham Cares, donation efforts for Hurricane Sandy, in five days days! On Nov. 9, my wife Trisha and I, along with Sandy Student, township manager Bill Cromie and deputy manager Monica Vandenberg, delivered seven truckloads of items, collected this past week, to hard hit Jersey City and Belmar. The items collected were so desperately needed by these communities in northern New Jersey. Bleach, work gloves, baby formula, diapers, blankets and jackets were just some of the goods that were delivered.
We first met with Jersey City Mayor Healy at their collection site in downtown Jersey City. There, Healy thanked the residents of Evesham for the largest donation of household items the town of 250,000 had received. The items are being disbursed over the weekend to those residents still in need. Jersey City has seen massive flooding, power outages and gas shortages. Healy was truly touched by our township’s generosity.
The afternoon took us to Belmar, NJ, about an hour drive south from Jersey City, to deliver the remainder of the household goods. We delivered over 200 cases of water, most of which were donated by Evesham MUA. Belmar had a significant need for work gloves, bleach, blankets and coats, and we met their needs. The town is going on 11 days without power, with over 1,200 homes flooded, and the total destruction of their prized 1.2 mile boardwalk! It’s gone! We toured the beach and the blocks surrounding it and there was total devastation. So very sad. After spending time with Mayor Matt Doherty, we got the feeling that Belmar will be back, better than ever. Great people, an enormous amount of volunteers and a committed townspeople all willing to clean up then rebuild. There were stunned looks on the faces of the volunteers as we unloaded massive amounts of much needed items. Doherty could not say thank you enough to the community of Evesham!
The trip was an emotional day for all of us who made the journey up north. It was truly sad to see so much devastation and meet people that lost everything. I was so proud to be your Mayor delivering hope to those residents and knowing that what our township provided today will help bring a small amount of normalcy to those who have lost so much. I have been your mayor for six years, and today was one of the most difficult yet gratifying days that I have experienced.
Evesham never forget: One team, one town!
Thank you
