We walk 3 blocks and come upon a school, which is being used as a Red Cross Center. And they give us half a dozen boxes of food and supplies. And so we return to the West Side Hwy with our proud success. And so we start to make and pack sandwiches. All the while, people are arriving and volunteering to help. Within the hour, there were 20 people making sandwiches and packing foods into plastic bags to hand out to the emergency crews, both coming and going to the site of destruction ... ground zero. Stories are being told about, five people rescued. A young strong and fit black man in his late twenties is there helping. He mentions in passing that he was on the 26th floor of WTC-1 when the first plane hit. It wasn't until much later in the evening that he told us of his story, and he cried like a child in the arms of three complete strangers, one woman, one man, and myself ... all of us, white, yet were family and brothers and sisters in that moment. And he tells us that this is the beginning of his healing process. By 1pm, there were over 100 people making sandwiches and packing food. And where did all the food come from . . . from everywhere and everyone. People were handing me $100 dollar bills, $50 dollar bills, rolls of twenties and tens and fives and ones .... i estimate we collected over $2,500 from people just on the street. Local grocery stores and super markets donated food and supplies .... matched dollar for dollar all purchases ... people from all walks of life would just appear and hand us bags of foods and stuffs. Cars and vans and SUV's and Uhall trucks ... just arrived out of nowhere with hoards of food and supplies ... everything. People would tell me they were short on some supply, or they needed something .... and then 10 minutes later, out of the blue, someone would appear with the item. A tarp, suntan lotion, batteries, contact lens cleaner, baggies, rubber cloves, tin foil, empty crates, ice, ice and more ice. It was a hot smoldering day and we needed to keep the perishables in the shade ... and we were all working together like a family. By midday, I had become the defacto leader of this impromptu gathering individuals who all simply cared.
"Where do we want it?"
"What else do you need?"
"What else can we do?"
"I have a car"
"I have a bike"
"I can carry it"
"I have a shopping cart, here take it"
"The grocery store gave me this hand-truck"
"My business wants to donate 1,000 power bars"
"My restaurant just made 2500 sandwiches, where do you want them"
We became the fallback for the overflow of foods and supplies that the official sites couldn't handle for they were overflowing with contributions ... so much, so much, so much, from everywhere and everyone.
People were everywhere, and it was all organized and orderly and everyone was courteous and thoughtful and calm and listening .... all giving and all feeling the shared sorrow and sadness .... also too, the loving caring coming together of a people, a city, a state, a nation, a world trying to right a great wrong.
"Who are you?" the Newsman asked ... "We are Americans, we are human beings of this planet." I say. "Yes, but what organization are you with?" He asks, "Organization? None." I say. "Why are you in charge?" He asks. "Because someone needed to take charge," I say. "Yes, but why are you here?" He says. And i say, "Because I care? .... Why are you here?"
There were thousands, all cheering the fire engines and buses and ambulances and rescue squads and cop cars and military personnel and construction crews and electricians and people and people and people .... all caring. From Miami Florida, one rescue squad ... another from Louisiana ... all waving two fingers of peace and love. I have never in my life seen such an outpouring of love and humanity.
Food arrived in vans and truckloads, a Cosco truck arrived with $70,000 worth of supplies and foods, medical and shirts and socks .... there were several relief centers where homeless were sheltered and families were gathered, waiting for loved ones, hoping .... we sent off a van to deliver sandwiches.
And in the distance, just south of us, a landmark we all knew, all too well, loomed with dark clouds billowing and ruins in half images of what once was ... some of the buildings were still shifting and unstable, they said. And we all knew what the clouds and smoke bore, the carnage and destruction, the stench, and we knew that tomorrow the smell would grow far far worse .... stories of the bodies and limbs trickled out .... every construction worker and every electrician and all of the personnel that crossed that line and entered the zone saw what i must imagine to be the most dark images of their life ... and the crowds of people sent their greatest wishes and appreciation for those going forth into the danger .... some of those workers might not return .... our hope was that their expertise and diligence would prevent further deaths ... but we all knew that some still lived within the rubble ... stories of trapped people with cell phones desperately trying to seek help ... help that was so close, yet so far.
We must have made and received over 15,000 sandwiches and countless more foods on this day of days. By 9pm, we got word that every relief center in lower Manhattan was filled to the brim with all the foods that they could possibly house .... and tomorrow is another day .... and the workers are there now, and they will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day .... till all that must be done ... is done ...
And that is the resolve and spirit and steel of the people of this nation and this world. |