Hurricane Sandy and friends of friends
It’s been several weeks now since Hurricane Sandy, virtually erased neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and New Jersey. For those of us who live and grew up here, the stories of loss and devastation are all around us.
As many as 100 Rockaway boys from Xavier High School — my alma mater — lost their homes and everything in them.
It’s times like these when you really understand what it means to be a part of this great city and its indomitable spirit.
You can see it playing out all across the city as strangers pour out to help in relief efforts. It is kind of remarkable, really, how in times like these, everyone’s circles seem to expand a little bit; your friends’ friends become your friends, too.
The efforts of our industry have been truly amazing. At press time, our coverage of Hurricane Sandy relief was the No. 3 most highly viewed story on DrugStoreNews.com for the week of Nov. 12.
That’s why I wanted to share a special letter to the editor we received via DrugStoreNews.com. Jamee Schleifer is a teacher at Public School 253, which is located in Brighton Beach, one of many areas in Brooklyn that was hit hard by Sandy. Schleifer wanted to do something for the moms of PS 253, and she saw one need that wasn’t being addressed. So she began collecting makeup. “I am reaching out to pharmacies and cosmetics companies who can offer immediate help,” Schleifer wrote to DSN. “I believe, ‘look good, feel good,’” she said.
Schleifer’s goal is to create 800 “beauty kits” for the children of PS 253 to bring home to their moms.
Our goal at DSN is to help connect good people — most often for business, but also because in this industry, we have so many opportunities to do good while doing good business. This is one of those times.
If you’re a retailer or an executive at a beauty company and you’d like to help, contact me at [email protected], or you can contact Jamee directly at [email protected].
Rob Eder is the editor in chief of The Drug Store News Group, publishers of Drug Store News, DSN Collaborative Care, and Specialty Pharmacy magazines. You can contact him at [email protected].