Supply drive provides
feeling of usefulness
Howell residents
sought way to help
in wake of tragedy
Anne Marie De Pinto just couldn’t sit at her kitchen table crying anymore. Watching the events of the Sept. 11 attack on New York City unfold before her eyes consumed her, frightened her and saddened her. Eventually those emotions moved her to a place where she could turn all that turmoil and distress into something that could help her fellow man.
De Pinto and some of her friends — Dr. Hal Ornstein, Marcie Nowicki, Patty Camme and Cindy Uzzolino — organized a mammoth supply drive for the victims of the tragedy in New York and somehow managed to pull it off in four days time.
"I was sitting at the table listening to the news on the radio and watching it on the television," De Pinto said. "I couldn’t stop crying. I was so scared. No one was home and I couldn’t reach anyone in my family by phone."
Even though the young mother knew that none of her relatives were in the World Trade Center at the time of the terrorist attack, she panicked as she watched and listened to the incredible series of events which were taking place in New York City, in Washington, D.C., and in western Pennsylvania.
Needing something to do, her mind tried to find a way to help. She said she felt like her hands were tied until the radio provided her with the answer.
"I was listening to Z100 when they started announcing that certain items were needed for the rescue operation," she said.
De Pinto said her brother-in-law owns tractor-trailers, and she got the idea of loading one of them up with supplies, using her house as a drop-off point, and then taking the trailer into New York.
Thus began her quest to help, to do something to make people feel a little better.
De Pinto echoed the sentiments of many area residents who, fueled by the emotions surging through them as they watched the day’s events, wanted to "just do something that would say, ‘I care. I’m here for you.’ "
De Pinto called a friend.
Destiny plays a part in all our lives, whether we take the time to recognize it or not. Sometimes, the hand of fate directs us to people and places we wouldn’t ordinarily see or go.
Dropping a 6-pound can of tomato sauce on her foot a while back led De Pinto to Howell podiatrist Dr. Hal Ornstein. That injury turned out to be the connection that helped make this supply drive happen.
In Ornstein, who is known in the area for his philanthropic works, she found not only someone to take care of her foot, she found a friend.
Ornstein was the catalyst who helped De Pinto and her friends get this idea out of their heads and off the ground.
The volunteers had the drive and the spirit — Ornstein had the know-how and the connections.
De Pinto explained that although they knew what they wanted to do, they weren’t sure how to go about it. Ornstein provided the missing link that led them to people who could put their energy to constructive, guided use.
According to De Pinto, Ornstein connected her with the Howell Chamber of Commerce and two of his friends, Gene Young of Young’s Appliance Store and Jim Kirk of Kirk’s Florist.
Young connected the women with the Southard Fire Department. Other connections were made and with a lot of hard work, their emergency supplies drive was held on Sept. 15.
Young’s Appliance and Kirk’s Florist both offered to be drop-off points for the supplies.
Howell Superintendent of Schools Dr. Enid Golden approved the use of Howell Middle School North and Howell Middle School South as main drop-off points, and the scope of the project widened and grew.
"The cheerleaders at Howell Middle School North even gave up their space to make room for the items," Nowicki said. "Everyone wanted to do their part."
She said parent-teacher groups were instrumental in contributing to the success of the event.
In addition to the community drive held on Sept. 15, the Howell schools also had their own school-wide collection of emergency supplies on Sept. 17.
Fliers were made up to advertise the drive and run off in Ornstein’s basement by Cindy Uzzolino and Karen Butkus. More than 5,000 fliers were then hand delivered to shops along Route 9 beginning on Sept. 13. All Howell schools and St. Veronica’s Catholic school were given fliers to send home with the children, informing residents of the upcoming drive.
On the day of the drive, "Even the kids came. It was wonderful to see so many people working together," De Pinto said.
All the items were categorized so as to provide easy access when they arrived in New York.
De Pinto manned the Howell Middle School North drop-off point with Nowicki on Sept. 15, while Camme camped out at Howell Middle School South, heading up the collection of donations there.
Items collected were things like masks, goggles, sweatshirts and T-shirts, work boots, sweat socks, saline, baby wipes and hand soap, flashlights, batteries, washcloths, towels and rain gear.
After all of the items were sorted, they were delivered by volunteers to their final destination point, the Southard firehouse on Route 9, where they were then loaded onto the trailers donated by Young’s Appliance Store. The plan called for the trailer to be met in Jersey City by a Jersey City police officer, Louis Vega, who escorted the trailer to New York.
De Pinto and Camme remarked that people were grateful for an opportunity to be able to finally do something beneficial. No longer feeling helpless and immobilized by terror, their energy now had a place to go, a direction.
De Pinto told the Tri-Town News that Ornstein, who in addition to his podiatry practice and his charitable works is also well known in the community for his display of The Wizard of Oz memorabilia, took her where she needed to be.
"I needed to make this project a reality. The Wizard of Oz man took me on a trip down the Yellow Brick Road and here I am," she said.