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Coming together to help

If Sandy can be said to have had any silver lining, it is that it shows us once again how New Yorkers pull together during times of crisis.

I am so grateful to Sunnyside Community Services’ staff and volunteers for working so hard under such difficult conditions to ensure the safety of the thousands of homebound seniors and others entrusted to our care. Our staff made telephone and cell calls throughout the storm and after to ensure that homebound seniors had enough food, water and medical supplies to make it through. Although western Queens was not badly hit, many of the staff live in areas where the damage was more severe, and though some had no power in their own homes and no access to transportation, they walked for miles each day to be where they were needed by the people who depend on them.

In the middle of heartbreak, it is heartening to receive calls from neighbors looking to volunteer and local businesses asking if they can help. From local officers prioritizing gas for our senior transportation vans to getting calls from foundations asking if we need emergency support, these examples of how a community comes together to care for those most vulnerable and in need make me feel grateful and proud to be a part of it.

Sandy has thrown many challenges our way, but with so many people showing such selflessness and commitment to helping others, there are many reasons to be grateful as well.

Judith Zangwill

Executive Director

Sunnyside Community Services