To the editor
Two weeks ago Americans were stunned by a tragedy that at times seemed almost too much to bear. We were all touched deeply by the images that we saw.
Almost immediately calls were made to township offices offering assistance. On Sept. 13, township resident Maria Adolphson came to Committeewoman Sonya Martin to organize a communitywide drive to collect items that were needed by the rescue workers in New York City.
The wheels were set in motion and in just over a week’s time, on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22 over 4,000 pounds of essential items were collected.
This drive was truly a communitywide effort. Dr. Gulick and the Board of Education were quick to offer the services of the schools and staff. On Sept. 21 the children had the opportunity to bring items they wished to donate to their schools. In this way, the children were given the opportunity to support our country in a concrete way.
Volunteers from the Home and School Associations collected the items from all of the schools and brought them to the municipal building. On Sept. 22, all residents were able to drop off their donations at the municipal building. That afternoon, all items were delivered to Salvation Army headquarters in Union, N.J.
In order to be successful this event required a great deal of time from many people and there was no shortage of help. As mentioned, Home and School Association members came out in full force to assist. Dave Rainey brought his trailer as well as a large group of Recreation Commissioners. Our volunteer firefighters who always do so much for us came forward once again to assist. The rescue squad was there as well as many individual residents who gave their time for this cause. All of the volunteers spent many hours collecting and sorting the donations and then packing them on the trailer. We are thankful to all of the volunteers and residents who supported this drive.
Out of this unspeakable tragedy we have seen so many examples of courage and strength and extraordinary acts of kindness between strangers. As we grieve with and for our neighbors, let us remember the strength and compassion of this great nation that we are all so fortunate to be a part of and to keep that in mind during the days ahead.
Deputy Mayor John Gelardi
Christine Jensen
Bob Mack
Sonya Ann Martin
Hillsborough
Township Committee

