Whitestone Man Delivered Heroes To Heroes After 9-11

Whitestone Man Delivered Heroes To Heroes After 9-11
As stories of tragedy, heroism and generosity made headlines immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center, Mike Niebauer quietly began delivering meals to the men and women working the night shift at the City’s many security checkpoints. It was only after the last steel beam at ground zero was carted away on May 30 that the Whitestone resident was ready to tell his story.
"We provided love on wheels," said Niebauer of the two months that he and others spent driving around the City in his 33-foot mobile home, bringing comfort food, moral support and a peaceful place to take a break for those who stood guard overnight at transportation hubs and other vulnerable locations. While there were so many people offering their help during daytime hours that many volunteers were turned away, "nobody thought about the third shift guys," said Niebauer, who worked from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week. "My instinct was, what can I do to help?"
Niebauer almost didn’t get the opportunity to help at all. The self-employed public relations man had planned to go to the World Trade Center the morning of Sept. 11 to sort out some tax issues for a client, but his girlfriend, NYPD Officer Pam Rinando, convinced him to watch polls with her during the primary election instead. "My destiny would have been inside that building," said Niebauer, who turned on the television just in time to watch the second plane hit the south tower. "When I saw the second plane hit, I said, ‘Pam, put your uniform on. Go to the precinct, I’ll get the motor home.’ I didn’t look back for two months."
Within hours of the attacks, Niebauer filled his trailer with food from the supermarket and made the rounds with a police escort at power plants, bridges, tunnels and ground zero. The food was depleted within three days, so he went to pick up more food at Shea Stadium, where Mets baseball players and manager Bobby Valentine helped load his trailer. By then, however, Niebauer had come to understand a desire among law enforcement to eat something comforting and familiar: good old fast food.
He wrote to the CEOs of fast food chains asking them to donate food for his route, and the response was overwhelming. The late Dave Thomas of Wendys gave Niebauer permission to get whatever he needed, regardless of the quantity, from the franchise on Queens Blvd. in Sunnyside. By the end of his mission, Niebauer secured a constant supply of food from Wendys, Kentucky Fried Chicken, White Castle, Subway, Boston Market, Dominos Pizza, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, Riese Restaurants, Pepsi-Cola, Costco, HAIN Foods and Chicken Express.
Like many shell-shocked Americans, men and women in uniform craved comfort food after the attacks. "We tried bringing in veggie sandwiches from Subway, and no one ate them," recalled Niebauer with a chuckle. "One officer said, Im not standing here fighting anthrax and Al-Qaeda so I can eat some lettuce and two pieces of bread. I want a real American sandwich!"
Niebauer often brought people along to help. Tony Sarni, franchise manager of a Subway in Rego Park, helped pass out heroes until 4 a.m. with his wife one night. Scott Waters, vice president of KFC, distributed chicken one night. "It was great for the troops," said Niebauer. "It was a morale booster." Pam, and even his 89-year-old father, came along for the ride.
"They knew who he was, and they were expecting him," said Congressman Joseph Crowley, who helped pass out hamburgers with Niebauer. "It was really touching. There wasnt much fanfare involved in it. Mike deserves a lot of credit."
Niebauer prefers instead to recognize the efforts of the officers he helped and the companies who donated food. He also has fond memories of the lasting friendships he made with the officers, including the troopers from upstate who took refuge in his air-conditioned trailer because they werent used to the polluted City air. "We talked about patriotism and the positive things," he said. "We talked about the future, and how the world had changed. I miss it."