Hamden Hall Alumni Help Victims of Sandy

Hamden Hall alumni put their lessons in community service to work over recently by collecting and delivering goods to victims of Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island.

Classmates from the class of 1992 started collecting items Friday, Nov. 2, and by Saturday morning, they had amassed more supplies than their two pickup trucks could handle, so they reached out to classmate Tyson Zahner’s father and packed up his box truck too.

One pickup left New Haven empty to stop by 1992 classmate Jena Axelrod's place in Queens. Jena, a comedian, had reached out to her audience Friday night during her show, Wine and Wit, at Uncorked Wine and Tapas. Jena, who called her classmates’ efforts “inspiring,” collected enough goods (and money too!) to fill up the truck.

In the meantime, the other pickup and box truck moved on, battling “unbelievable” traffic.

“Our perseverance finally allowed us to reach the disaster zone,” said Chris Candido. “We hooked up with a pastor from a church, and we were in the heart of the trouble. Everyone received us with open arms.”

Tyson, on his Facebook page, along with fellow 1992 road warriors Candido, Chris Nicotra and Justin Carbone, thanked everyone who helped them pull their good will together in less than 40 hours.

“We were eight blocks from the ocean, yet the damage was severe,” Tyson reported. “Not a house was spared. Literally, people's entire worldly possessions were strewn about the streets. The items we supplied were very much needed. The number of thank you's and bless you's were unimaginable. The camaraderie of the people there to help each other and us was a sight to see. Complete strangers just pitched in whatever they could to help each other.“

Moved by what they saw, the Hamden Hallers were back at it again this weekend, planning a second delivery Sunday. To learn more or see photos, visit facebook.com/4Peeps2Trucks.