A Town in Need

Irene passed through last week, leaving many of us in the dark and mopping out flooded basements. 

All in all, however, Vernon faired pretty well. Sadly, there are a lot of towns in the Northeast that didn't. The storm that didn't hit us that hard absolutely flooded parts of New York, Vermont, etc.

These towns desperately need your help.

My family is personally involved with the village and county of Schoharie, NY. It is (or rather was) a farming community just downstream from the Gilboa dam.  Floodwaters from Irene caused the reservoir to overflow and the village was under feet of water. Many of the homes and businesses in town were destroyed by the flooding. Those that weren't are now frequently being condemned for mold and structural damage. Crops were destroyed, barns are gone, the streets and river are full of dead animals. 

It looks like a war zone.

My Aunt and Uncle were very lucky. They have lived on a hill above Schoharie for decades. Their vantage point gave them protection from the floodwaters, but also a birds eye view to the devestation the village has suffered. They have spent the last week trying to coordinate rescue efforts, cleanup, hot meals and shelter. All the things you would like to think any of us would do in their place. Volunteers have begun to stream in and help with whatever people need a hand doing. It really is a great demonstration of the value of community spirit.

Out of the many things they need though is something close to my heart. They need supplies to try and get kids back in school. Many of these kids lost absolutely everything. The school is luckily safe, but is currently the headquarters for state and local agencies. They have been forced to delay the start of school until Monday the 12th, but even then many of the kids will not have the basic supplies to begin the school year. I want to help them.

I know there are a million ways you could donate your money. I realize there are dozens of other towns in similar straights, people here in Connecticut, even people here in Vernon that could use assistance. And I would never ask you to help Schoharie at their expense. But if you have the ability or the inclination, I would like to ask for the following items:

Clean Backpacks (new or used)
Clean lunch boxes (same)
Pencils
Pens
Notebooks
Paper
Folders
Crayons
Markers
Colored Pencils
Tape
Glue
Pencil Sharpeners
Erasers
Rulers

Nothing fancy. If you can donate these items, please contact me at paul@paulstansel.com or 860-992-6747. I will come and pick them up if you need me to. My family will be taking a trip up this weekend to drop off anything we have been able to gather.

Thank you,
Paul Stansel