Living in Millburn through Hurricanes Floyd and Irene, Lise Chapman had seen up close the destruction that could be brought storms that size.

And because she has friends in Paterson, she knew that while the damage from Irene was extensive in Millburn, it was even worse in Paterson, where many families were left homeless, prompting a visit from President Obama.

A friend in Paterson asked Chapman to help with the families devastated by the floods there.

So she filled a couple of bags of clothes, asked a few friends to help and sent an email to the Millburn-Short Hills WorkMoms, a community google group that shares a wealth of information about what’s going on in town.
 
She had no plan and did not even know where the donations would go, but she knew that she wanted to help, and “thought others in our town might feel the same way.”
 
Before long, donations started to arrive at Chapman's home.  

"The WorkMoms told their friends, who told other friends," she said.  Soon after, Susan Piskiel Blackburn, President of the Miriam Sisterhood of Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange, invited the sisterhood to join the relief effort. 

 “It is incredible all these people want to help. This relief effort has a life of its own,” Chapman said.

Chapman and the others are working with the Community Ecumenically Concerned Helping Others (CUMAC/ECHO), which has served the Paterson community for more than 30 years and is part of the Center of United Methodist Aid.

On Sept. 23, just five days after the first email, Chapman, along with Blackburn and Jean Pasternak, delivered more than 100 bags of clothing, kitchen supplies, beds and bedding and toys to CUMAC-ECHO, where Director Reverend Bruger thanked them for all the donations from WorkMoms, Miriam Sisterhood and Millburn Township residents.

 “I feel privileged to have found out about CUMAC and to have seen the inspirational Pat Bruger in action,” Blackburn said. “She and her supporters, with vision, dedication and compassion, have planted the seed of hope in a community devastated by poverty, blight and natural disaster.”

They toured the organization's limited facilities in an old warehouse where Rev. Bruger showed an empty walk-in storage freezer with no food. 

“Visiting CUMAC brought home to me the terrible blow that Irene dealt on our neighbors in Paterson," Pasternak said. "I was overwhelmed by the generosity of our town in responding to their enormous needs.”
 
The drive continues as more is needed, especially food, personal care products, bedding, and office attire.

“These residents in Paterson have nothing, really nothing, no food, not even a toothbrush,”  Bruger told Chapman. “They are sleeping on friends’ floors. They need the basics.”

Chapman and the others will drop off more donations this Saturday, Nov.12, from 9 a.m. to noon Her garage is packed with donations and she is in need of additional drivers.

If you are interested in driving to Paterson, email Chapman at lisepchapman@gmail.com. She estimates she needs about eight cars or vans to get the donations there, and she encourages parents to bring their children .

“We picked Saturday so children could come and help,” she said. “It also will change their lives to see this place and this town so devastated.”

Chapman said the effort and the results reflect “the power of this community.”

“People really care about what happened to the families in Paterson,” she said. “I am so proud to be part of a larger effort with such heart-felt support. It is all about making a difference for someone else. Come join us.”

 
If you would like to help but can’t drive, donations can be made online on the website or mailed to CUMAC-ECHO, P.O. Box 2721 Paterson, NJ 07509. For example, a $50 contribution will feed a family of four for a week.