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| Route 35 South |
As Spring rolls forward we want to
take a moment to reflect on a historic winter that we will all remember. It’s been five months since Hurricane Sandy
has permanently changed our lives and the shape of the Jersey Shore
forever. What many of us thought would
be another typical hurricane turned out to be the 2nd worst to hit
the United States in terms of deaths and destruction. Sandy is the largest produced in the Atlantic
at over 1100 miles wide and causing an estimated 75 billion dollars (33 Billion
in New Jersey alone) worth of damage when it’s thirteen-foot storm surge made
landfall.
I remember
working our last Clambake of 2012, what I considered a nice fall day, slightly
overcast and a chill in the air. Saturday
October 27th, in Toms River New Jersey, our customers enjoyed
lobsters in their backyard as they prepped the backyard for the hurricane. They discussed how Hurricane Irene the year
before was made out to be a big deal. I
think most people believed the media cried wolf and that this storm wouldn’t be
as bad as some forecasted.
Needless to say we all know what
followed, I had the unique perspective of being almost too close to the damage of Sandy. I was about a mile up the road from the Mantoloking Bridge, which we heard a report that it washed away (see attached video “Miracle of Route 35”).
The next morning I spoke to my brother who works for Jersey Central
Power and Light and he told me it would be 2 weeks before most of us get power
back and months before areas severely effected.
Over 2.6 millions customers in the state of New Jersey were without
power.
Shore Catering and A & S Deli
opened up for business a few days after the storm. We were without power and working by candlelight.
Our store was extremely busy since few places in Brick were open for
business. We had prepared over 1200 lbs.
of ice to help keep our food from spoiling. I had to drive down to Manahawkin,
New Jersey to find a generator so we would have power.
Soon after the U.S. Coast Guard
called, they were in need of food to support their facility and workers. Most of the bases in New Jersey were damaged,
so everyone was working out of Sandy Hook first to restore operation at that
base. Our job was to provide breakfast,
lunch and dinner for 200 people daily.
The realization that we had no power, refrigeration, and the complexity
of simple tasks like getting gas or ordering from our vendors made our job
increasingly difficult. We banded
together like so many other people through the United States, we rented an 18
foot refrigerated trailer, bought a second generator and fought the traffic and
gas lines all the way up to Sandy Hook to provide the United States Coast Guard
with food for the next six weeks. Shore
Catering finally regained power on the 10th day, which made our
lives somewhat easier. The men and woman
of the U.S. Coast guard were so grateful to have hot meals while they dealt
with the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy.
As time passed, our daily routines
began to resemble normal. It wasn’t
until we started providing food for New Jersey Natural Gas when I saw firsthand
how devastating the storm was and how long the recovery effort would take. Shore Catering supported the storm team of
200 men and women working from Mantoloking to Seaside Heights daily with fresh
salads, soup, and sandwiches. New Jersey
Natural Gas has done a wonderful job and provided our food to contractors and
the National Guard while working on the barrier island.
We also helped a variety of church
groups and shelters with donations of hot and cold food platters. We chipped in to help support family and
friends with clothes, furniture and other supplies to help our community. We
also provided bags of ice free of charge to help keep perishables from spoiling
during the power outage.
The good
news is our business is strong and preparing for another great summer. Shore Catering continues to grow and we have
expanded our menu’s, vehicles and social media presence by improving our
Facebook page, Wedding Wire page, created our own blog and modified our website. We have seen tremendous interest to cater
weddings this year as well as our clambakes and barbecues. Many of our venues
and beach houses we catered at have suffered severe damage, which forced us to
reach out and build new relationships. I
am inspired by the hard work, dedication, and compassion shown towards New
Jersey and it’s residents. I hope we
all appreciate the benefits of living at the Jersey Shore and support given to
us from those in and out of our communities.
We thank our friends, family and customers in hopes that everyone
continues to have a happy and healthy year as we begin our spring season.
Please check out our current Facebook Promotion. Like us on Facebook and nominate us for NJNG’s Love to $ave, Love the Shore Campaign for local businesses for chances
to win prizes.
