Wyandotte Rotary Club Collecting, Then Driving Donations to Hurricane Sandy Victims

The Wyandotte Rotary Club and Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital have teamed up to help gather donations for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Donations will be collected from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at 2430 Biddle, which is a hospital-owned building that is located across the street from the hospital. The building was recently purchased from the Knights of Columbus.

A truck will be leaving on Saturday, delivering the supplies to the East Coast, Wyandotte Rotary Club member Jay Blackburn said.

Once the truck arrives, he said the local Rotary members making the trip would meet up with East Coast Rotary members and help them distribute the donations.

Getting the supplies quickly to the East Coast is important, Blackburn said, as many residents there are still suffering and media focus has somewhat shifted away from the storm’s aftermath.

“There’s an unmet need,” Blackburn said. “There’s a lack of media attention because of the elections, and because of that, the people that are suffering in that area are not getting the needed supplies. Most of them are still out of power. Their lives have been destroyed. Maybe we can help a little bit.”

The project was first kicked off by Mary Kehoe, governor for Rotary District 6400, which includes southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario.

Blackburn said that most clubs throughout the district have gotten involved in some way with collecting donations for the hurricane victims.

Nearby, the Grosse Ile Rotary Club has teamed up with St. Thomas Lutheran Church to collect donations. Supplies can be dropped off at Hangar 25 of Grosse Ile Municipal Airport from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Below is a list of what is needed at both locations: