The Daily News’ Hurricane Sandy relief mission focused on the animal kingdom Wednesday, with staffers ferrying hundreds of pounds of pet food to a Brooklyn shelter packed with pooches, pussies and even parakeets left homeless by the howling superstorm.
More than 20 big bags of grub had been collected by Park Slope Parents, but the mom’s group lacked the personnelpower to distribute it.
As a nor’easter bore down on the city, our truck made the pickup and brought the victuals to the Sean Casey Animal Rescue in the borough’s Kensington section.
“Thank you,” Casey himself said while the bags were quickly unloaded as snow fell.
Casey’s menagerie has grown by 50 since Sandy struck, and he is expecting to take in 30 more critters over the next few days at his two shelters.
Right now, he said, “we’re at capacity.”
Casey introduced a reporter to some of the animals he and his volunteers have taken in from the storm. Many of man’s best friends are in desperate need of a good home.
First up was a shy but beautiful German Shepherd that was found frightened and terrified on Coney Island Ave. after the storm. It looked up at a reporter with sad eyes.
Then there was the tiny orange and white kitten, found on flooded Bay Parkway in Brooklyn. Just five weeks old, it purred contentedly as it nestled inside a reporter’s arms.
Casey said his group has also taken in several exotic animals from Breezy Point, the ravaged Rockaways neighborhood. He said their owners needed a safe place for them to stay while they are rebuilding.
Among others, Casey has two Uromastyx lizards, each the size of a palm.
“They’re very friendly,” Casey said as the lizards eyed a reporter unconvincingly with those suspicious reptilian eyes.
Next, Casey pointed to a fluffy, reddish-orange Sun Conure, a bird about the size of a parakeet.
“The house he was in was flooded in the Rockaways,” said Casey. “There was an oil spill. Those fumes are very toxic to birds, so it’s good he got out quick.”
Among the newest arrivals were a pair of box turtles.
“These two guys were just rescued out of a house in Broad Channel,” said Casey. “Most of these are owned animals that are hopefully going back their homes.”
Casey is urging people interested in a pet to visit the shelter at 153 E. Third St. and pick one out because he needs the space for new animals arriving every day.
To get a look a look online at the available animals, go to Petfinder.com and plug in the ZIP code 11218.
The News’ zoological mission of mercy was the fourth phase of our post-Sandy relief effort.
The first truck went Sunday to the ravaged Rockaways, where dozens of hungry, tired and cold residents received clean clothes and warm blankets that were piled high in the truck.
The second News truck made it to Coney Island on Monday; there, badly needed clothes, blankets, water, diapers, nonperishable food and other items were unloaded by the light of flashlights.
And Tuesday, a Daily News truck made it to storm-shattered Staten Island with enough fixings to feed 3,000 people and lots of badly needed baby diapers.
The News got the relief drive rolling Saturday with a $100,000 donation from the paper’s chairman and publisher, Mortimer B. Zuckerman.
Since then, the fund has grown to more than $225,000 thanks to generous contributions from “The X Factor” judge Simon Cowell, Z-100′s Elvis Duran, Mets honcho Jeff Wilpon, the Manhattan Institute, Porschla Kidd, wife of Knicks point guard Jason Kidd, and hundreds of readers.
The News’ drive is also getting a boost from USA Track & Field New York, which is hosting a special 5K race on Nov. 18.
“Each runner is paying an entry fee of $25 per person and all the proceeds will go to the Daily News Charities,” said president Lauren Primerano. “Our goal is to have at least 1,000 people in the race.”
The News has also set up a PayPal account that will enable readers to donate online at nydn.com/sandyappeal. You can also donate by scanning the square matrix bar code on this page with your smartphone.
Meanwhile, dozens of other groups — including some taking their cues from the News’ drive — have been speeding relief to the city.
The United States Tennis Association delivered some $300,000 worth of clothing, bottled water, soap and other items to relief checkpoints in Queens and kicked in $100,000 to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York.
“New York is the U.S. Open’s home, and we want to aid in the rapid recovery of the city, as well as help as many people as we can directly in our home borough of Queens,” said USTA chief Jon Vegosen.
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company donated $2.5 million to Hurricane Sandy cleanup and relief efforts in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
And some 10,000 donors have contributed more than $32 million to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City for storm relief.
On Wednesday, Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia and manager Joe Girardi gave a new meaning to pinstripe pride by unloading supplies for the needy at Yankee Stadium.
~ Courtesy of Daily News
Tags: donated pet supplies, Hurricane Sandy