Rowan University’s Catholic Campus Ministry students organize supplies for victims of Hurricane Sandy on Saturday, Nov. 10 in Northfield.
On Nov. 10, eight students from Rowan University’s Catholic Campus Ministry in Glassboro volunteered to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy, at St. Gianna Beretta Molla Parish in Northfield.
One of two disaster relief sites in the Diocese of Camden set up to benefit Cape May and Atlantic County residents (the other is Notre Dame de la Mer Parish in Wildwood), it is organized by the Camden Diocese’s Catholic Charities, in partnership with Catholic Charities USA and other national relief organizations.
Open seven days a week, until they are no longer needed, the relief sites provide victims of the hurricane with basic supplies including clean-up kits, non-perishable food items, clothing, and toiletries.
From 12-3 p.m., Catholic Campus Ministry members unloaded trucks filled with supplies, assembled bags for the needy, and took out trash.
The youth “jumped right in…they were happy they could do something,” said Ann Polo, director of Rowan’s Catholic Campus Ministries, adding that for some of them, their motivation was heightened by the fact that relatives had been impacted by the storm.
Gemma Peebles, a senior civil and environmental engineering major at Rowan, called the day “a great experience for all…. It really gave us a chance to make a difference for people who lost so much.”
To volunteer at the two disaster relief sites in Northfield and Wildwood, call Catholic Charities’ Hurricane Sandy volunteer hotline at 856-342-4185.