Township Hosts Sandy Donation Drive Tonight

Mayor Robert D. Parisi and the township of West Orange will host a "Hurricane Sandy Donation Drive" at the Liberty Middle School, 1 Kelly Dr. on Thursday, Nov. 15 beginning at 6 p.m. 

The event is being called a community gathering and appreciation party to thank township employees for all the hard work they performed in the aftermath of the storm that knocked down trees, pulled down wires and caused damage around the township in the overnight hours of Oct. 28 and 29.

"After the storm, many residents were reaching out to us to ask, how can we help others," said Parisi. "Also, our township employees worked around the clock during that period, and I wanted to acknowledge them and say thanks."

Parisi decided that the best way to show appreciation for the police, firefighters, employees of the Department of Public Works and Town Hall employees -- as well as to reach out to the larger community -- was to combine efforts and host the donation drive.

Residents are invited to bring the following cleaning items when they attend: bleach, buckets, rubber gloves, cleaning solutions and garbage bags. In addition, organizers are asking for outerware such as gloves, hats, scarves and jackets as well as toys for the West Orange Fire Department Toy Drive.

The township will donate the items to people in need, through various local charities and non-profit organizations.

"It will be an informal event, to enable people to thank employees," said Parisi. Plus, he added, "There will be a lot of pizza."

Parisi said that clean-up from the storm is an ongoing process. 

"We have 90-100 miles of roads to clean up in the township," he said. In addition, there are still leaves to pick up. 

"Clean up will continue through the holidays," Parisi said. "To get our streets back in order will take some time."