Exactly two weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey touched down in eastern Texas. When Sandy hit our New Jersey shores, Texans jumped right in to offer assistance. A couple of local residents want to return the favor. They’ve set up Westfield Hurricane Harvey donation drop-off sites for today and tomorrow. They’d appreciate all the help they can get.
Westfield Hurricane Harvey Donation Drop-Off Sites
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Benjamin Montez currently resides in Westfield but comes from Houston. He also happened to be in Houston on business when Hurricane Harvey hit. Midtown Authentic owner Rory Chadwick, a Hoboken resident, was personally impacted by Sandy five years ago. At that time, a South Carolina businessman donated generators to people in Hoboken. As his way of paying it forward, Rory wishes to return the favor by helping Hurricane Harvey victims. So, he reached out on Facebook. Benjamin saw the post and a partnership was born.
Today only (September 8th), two local businesses and a Union company act as Westfield Hurricane Harvey donation drop-off sites. However, they will only be accepting gift cards. They welcome all amounts ($5, $10, $25, etc). Chain store gift cards may be best: Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. However, if you decide to donate a Visa, MasterCard or American Express gift card, please make sure to activate it before donating it. Many Houston area residents live without any internet or phone access at this time. So, that makes activation there difficult.
Drop off your gift card donations today at the following locations during normal business hours:
- Midtown Authentic (129 E Broad St, Westfield, NJ) – Open until 9:30pm
- Manhattan Bagel Westfield (210 S Ave W, Westfield, NJ) – Open until 5pm
- Red Cadillac (2258 Morris Ave, Union, NJ) – Open until 1am
Westfield Hurricane Harvey Donation Drop-Off Part II
Tomorrow, September 9th, Rory, Benjamin and Benjamin’s wife Trisha will be accepting donations between Vine Ripe Market and McIntyre’s on North Ave. Drop off your donation between 8am and 4pm. In addition to gift cards, they request the following items:
- toiletries – soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, etc.
- diapers (adult and infant), formula
- feminine hygiene products
- blankets, bedding
- cleaning products
- laundry detergent
- vitamins
- over-the-counter medications (aspirin, ointments, pain relievers, etc.)
- school supplies
As a first hand observer, Benjamin knows what Houston area residents are desperately in need of. Rory, Benjamin and Trisha plan on hand delivering all items collected from these Westfield Hurricane Harvey donation drop-offs to the Houston area people in need themselves. If you’d like to help with the cost of transporting these items, they’ve set up a crowdfunding site on You Source. Please donate what you can. Everything helps. Thank you.
Scott Gleason, CRS at Coldwell Banker Realty – East, NJ Luxury Homes