Fordham University Volunteers Help Hurricane Sandy Victims

Photo by Fordham alum Cathy Lee.

Freezing temperatures haven’t kept Fordham University volunteers from trekking to Breezy Point, N.Y., several Saturdays each month to help those recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

Students, alumni, faculty and staff are participating in these “Sandy Saturdays,” which Fordham is sponsoring throughout the semester. Volunteers join organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to help clear debris, gut devastated homes and assist with rebuilding efforts.

During the winter months, volunteers have concentrated on indoor projects, including removing damaged insulation, re-insulating and bringing in new sheetrock.

The group has also brought donations and other supplies to residents, many of whom are still displaced more than three months after Sandy struck the East Coast.

Despite having found temporary shelter in apartments or with family and friends, many lack the comforts of home, making emotional recovery difficult, according to Gil Severiano, Fordham’s assistant to the vice president of campus ministry.

“Part of the trip involves going into somebody’s home, seeing firsthand what happened, seeing somebody’s reaction to their whole world being turned upside down and offering comfort and support,” Severiano said. “It’s a good experience for the students, the alumni, everyone.”

Several Fordham volunteers from the January 26 Sandy Saturday were featured in a CBS New York news segment, which can be viewed below. [Fordham University]