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When people are in need, there are some businesses that are always there to lend a helping hand. Cardi’s Furniture and Arpin Van Lines have teamed up to send an estimated twelve truckloads of  relief supplies to Hurricane Sandy victims in New York and New Jersey. This past Friday at four different Cardi’s locations, volunteers and other local businesses contributed clothing, coats, toiletries, blankets, canned food and more to fill up tractor trailers. Owner of Cardi’s Furniture, Peter Cardi, says they will probably end up with twelve fifty-three-foot moving trailers. One truck already made it to Toms River, New Jersey, and they are still collecting goods at their other locations. “Our goal is to send a trailer a day, we are hoping by next Monday they will all be down there,” Cardi says.

Along with employees from both businesses, volunteers from the Rhode Island Police Academy and MAP Alcohol and Drug Rehab Services were also in attendance helping to load the trucks. The American Red Cross also set up a table to accept donations, and Ocean State Job Lot contributed the most goods for this effort. The turnout was better than expected with people arriving at the crack of dawn to donate and volunteer.

Cardi’s is working with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) to deliver the products to specific locations. “It’s a moving target with electricity in different areas starting to come back,” says Cardi. Brooklyn will be another area they hope to help. “The biggest concern we have in doing these drives is the logistics of getting the products to where they need to go,” he says.

Watch the video highlighting the volunteer effort below (Video by Joseph Gawlik):