The Storm is Gone, The Giving Continues

With the holidays upon us, the spirit of charity is in clear display around the Plainview community.

Groups large and small have found ways to help the victims of particularly those hardest hit on Long Island's South Shore.

Here are some small, but powerful examples, of Patch readers and their kids pitching in:

• Six Parkway Elementary School students sold lollipops outside Town Bagel to raise money for school supplies for Oceanside's School No. 8. The school was severely damaged in the hurricane and the students were forced to move to another building.
• The Hickory Hill Day School sponsored it's own Hurricane Sandy Drive. The group packed up a bus set out recently to support those in need in Long Beach and Island Park. Families and staff members offered generous donations.
• An ad hoc group called the "POB Grass Roots Effort" gathered recently at Fairway Market in Plainview. Students from Plainview-Old Bethpage schools collected monetary donations and toys for the children of Meadow Elementary School and Baldwin Middle School who lost their homes and personal belongings due to Hurricane Sandy.  The children collected more than $900 and 50 toys for the children in need.

There's still time to donate: Those interested in donating to the cause can find a drop box at Plainview-Old Bethpage Library or Syosset Sportime. If you are interested in contributing please email me at jdbiren@aol.com. Organizers thanked Fairway for their assistance.

We want to know about the other efforts in the community to help the victims. We do this not for praise, but to inspire others to action.

Please help us by telling about your group's efforts and by mentioning them directly in the comments. You can also email joe.dowd@patch.com.

Try to include a photo of your group.