Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Jersey Shore Work Weekend, 2/23/13 and 2/24/13

The recovery effort along the Jersey / New York coast line continues.

The next work weekend I am planning to participate in will be 2/23/13 (Saturday) and 2/24/13 (Sunday).  Once again, I will be joining my brother, Jim Groff and the Christiana Lions, to help with the recovery sites they are involved in.  

We have concentrated our efforts on several homes over the past several weeks and hope to get these homes to the point the owners will soon be able to move back into them.  This means the walls won't be painted or carpet laid, but the homeowners can get out of the rentals they have been living in since the storm and return to their home to start to get back to a "somewhat normal" life.  

We are in weekly contact with the New Jersey team that is on the ground there and know the people and their situations. They have already prequalified many homes for repair, based on the homeowners needs and the damaged sustained.   Each week we notify them how many volunteers are coming to work the following weekend and the skills that come along with them.  The New Jersey team then co-ordinates with the homeowners to have the necessary material available on site when the day arrives.

There is a need for carpenters, electricians, plumbers, trim workers, tile installers, cabinet installers, siding installers, roofers and, of course, "helping" hands.  We will be placed where our ability best fits the need.

I need to get a head count of those able to join us for either day or both so we know how much work we can anticipate to get done.  

Housing and motel rooms in that region are still at a premium right now, so we will not staying overnight.  We will be returning to Gap at the end of the day on Saturday and driving back to the work sites on Sunday. That is a pain, but until we can line up someplace to bed down for the night, we'll be running back and forth.

Meals are not provided.  Hand tools are not provided.  Let me know if you can provide transportation, a pickup or van.  We will get as many in as few vehicles as feasible.

The drive takes about 2 hours and fifteen minutes from Gap to where we will be working.

Remember, this is a long term effort to help get those affected by the storm to get back into their homes.  So if you are unable to join us for the 23th or 24th, there are work crews making the trip almost every weekend.  For myself, I am scheduling at least one weekend a month to help in this effort.

If you are interested in joining in the effort, please contact me at inthegapforshore@gmail.com.

Thanks
Dale Groff