WMass volunteer calls in from Rockaways, New York

ROCKAWAYS, NY (WWLP) - Pioneer Valley Red Cross volunteers continue their Sandy relief efforts in some of the hardest hit areas.

22News spoke to one volunteer from Ware Sunday about her experience.

Darlene Lewinski spent Sunday delivering water and food to residents in Rockaway, New York. She told 22News she was shocked by the devastation when she arrived to the place these people used to call home.

“It looks pretty bad. People are cleaning out their homes. There's a lot of garbage in the streets. A lot of mud on the roads, there's a lot of buildings that were burnt down,” Lewinski told 22News.

Darlene said the constant police, fire and ambulance sirens makes it feel even more chaotic. But despite their many losses, the residents are still in good spirits, many even insisting there are others worse off.

“They’re very grateful. A lot of them are telling us to give it to other people and not to worry about them. They'll end up taking something because they really do need it,” said Lewinski.”

And as for why Darlene felt called to help, the answer is simple.

“We just feel lucky that storm sandy missed us. When we needed help during the hurricane and the snowstorm they were there for us as well. We just want to help them out,” said Lewinski.

This is only the beginning of a long road to recovery in many of these hard hit areas. You can help in that recovery by making a quick, simple donation to the Red Cross from your cell phone.