This is how to move wood from the debris pile to the dumpster — hand to hand. Photos by Mary Walton (left click to enlarge)
By Charles Layton
On this crispy-cold Saturday morning we found approximately 40 volunteers down at the beach, divided into two work gangs – one at the foot of Main Avenue, the other at the Pavilion.
Both were performing similar tasks, tearing up the broken boardwalk and using human chains – bucket brigade style – to load the wood into dumpsters. We’re told a third group was working at the South End.
“We’ve been trying to find places where we could volunteer,” said Gina Voorhees, a kindergarten teacher at Presbyterian Church at New Providence. She and others at her church discovered Ocean Grove via the Facebook page of another volunteer group, Calvary Relief, which does cleanup operations all along the Jersey Shore.
Voorhees put a note about Saturday’s Ocean Grove cleanup on her church’s own Facebook page, and that’s where Karen Lawler of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, found out about it. So on Saturday she was out there too.
One thing we’ve learned from Hurricane Sandy is how many people, like Lawler and Voorhees, are eager to volunteer for the massive ongoing cleanup efforts. “Our goal is to try to do something two Saturdays a month,” Voorhees told us, speaking for the New Providence group.
Another thing we’ve learned is the important role that social media play in coordinating these efforts. For instance, Calvary Relief’s website had a posting on Friday that said, “Join in Ocean Grove tomorrow morning to continue work on the boardwalk! No need to call, just meet us in the Youth Temple at 9:00 a.m.!!!”
If you go to “PCNP Hurricane Sandy Relief” you’ll see how that group in New Providence spreads the word to its followers.
Most Grovers probably have little idea how much our town and others benefit from perfect strangers who read such postings, show up, pitch in, and ask absolutely nothing in return.
Most of the volunteers in the Main Avenue work gang on Saturday seemed to be from New Providence and from Calvary Relief. Members of the latter group are headquartered at the Youth Temple in Ocean Grove and can often be found at work on our beachfront, especially on weekends. (To read our previous story about them, go here.)
But native Ocean Grovers were out there, too. Liz Saunders of Ocean Grove told us she had been looking for ways to help with the cleanup. So she just showed up at the beach on Saturday morning. “The lady in charge said to me, ‘You looking for a job?’ and I said yes.”
Simple as that.
Doing her bit, Zlë Walters, 8, with the Calvary Relief group, sweeps the sand off the memorial plaque at the base of the flagpole.
We saw the posting in Blogfinger last week and came to work on Saturday. I met wonderful people from Anaheim, Calif.; Tennessee, Old Bridge, NJ and OG, too. After seeing the progress I do think we need to get an estimate from professionals to rebuild what can’t be salvaged. The job looks bigger than a volunteer crew can manage. Many thanks to Calvary Church for all their work for us. They are awesome.
Jersey Shore Hurricane News
#njsandy Where can we volunteer and/or deliver food, supplies, etc. today? If you need something, please post your request and contact information. Also let us know if you need assistance unloading trucks, organizing donations, etc. Please specify current needs.
This is a Facebook page that is wonderful!! It regularly matches volunteers with who needs specific help for storm cleanup. Anytime Ocean Grove is planning something in the cleanup category or if anyone needs any specific help or donations, post your information and you will be surprised at how many folks will respond! They do a great job of matching and allowing volunteers to help!
There was also a group of volunteers at the south end of the beach working on putting Christmas trees in slots made from storm fencing to help create new dunes. This group had approximately 20 people working on this project — residents of Ocean Grove, Camp Meeting employees and of course the wonderful group from the Calvery Chapel Church.
Every Saturday you can volunteer to help with the beach front by either going to the OGCMA Youth Temple or going to the beach area at 9 a.m. and later. The work consists of putting trees on the beach to create dunes, sand removal from the boardwalk or removing the damaged boards from the boardwalk and putting them in dumpsters. Come and help us on Saturdays. The Calvery Chapel church has also been working during the week — you can always help them during the week if you are available.
As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world,” so help with the rebuilding of Ocean Grove’s beach front and the dunes and you wil be part of of the positive change in Ocean Grove. Volunteer and help or donate to the project — the Camp Meeting needs both.
Actually, though, we did have an announcement of this event in advance of the event. The Camp Meeting’s website also says these events are being held every Saturday in January. People have to make a bit of an effort to be informed.
“Most Grovers probably have little idea how much our town and others benefit from perfect strangers who read such postings, show up, pitch in, and ask absolutely nothing in return.” So, how can we fix that on a broader scale and make times and places to help in town readily known in advance so people can schedule it in? Flyers? An announcement in Blogfinger BEFORE the event? Maybe Mary can be the middlewoman who gets the notice of a workparty and spreads the word. If people don’t know about it, they can’t volunteer. Just showing up is great, but you have to know when and where to show up. Just say’n…