NORTH FORK, NY — When Hurricane Helene left communities in North Carolina and beyond devastated, the racing family revved up their engines and joined hands with the local North Fork and Riverhead communities to help.
Doug Ogiejko, a member of the Goodie Racing NASCAR Whelan Modified Team in Riverhead — Russell Goodale is the owner of their car, #46 — said he is amazed at the outpouring since his initial idea to help was born.
“I was at my son’s baseball game in Riverhead and I thought, ‘What can we do? We have a couple of weeks off, it would be nice to do something.’ So I contacted the team.”
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From there, he said, scores of those eager to help ran with the idea. “It just snowballed,” he said.
Erin Hardy in Southold, he said, “was a big part of this” taking to social media to share lists of what was needed, including baby wipes, non-perishable food, diapers, sleeping bags, camping equipment, blankets, tools, and more.
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Wendy Zuhoski at Wendy’s Deli has also been a “tremendous force,” and is still accepting donations through Friday at 2 p.m.
Along with Wendy’s Deli some drop off points include Famous Footwear on Route 58 in Riverhead, Riverhead Building Supply, The North Fork Animal Welfare League, the North Fork Animal Hospital and Mattituck-Laurel Veterinary Hospital; they are collecting through Friday.
Other teams on the racing circuit also came together, Ogiejko said; he is heading to Thompson Speedway Motorsports, CT Friday for a race — and to pick up even more boxes at a collection point there. “The whole Whelan Tour company jumped onboard,” Ogiejko said.
The huge boxes of donations will be packed into a 48-foot hauler and taken to North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, next week; the supplies will be distributed to those in areas of North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene, he said.
Ironically, Ogiejko said, the team was supposed to race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, but due to the hurricane, that event was canceled – and the venue is now a drop-off point for supplies.
Ogiejko said he never knew how widely the initiative would blossom. “I had no idea that it would get this big,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
The Long Ireland Beer Company had a supply drive Sunday; the team brought the race car out for the event. The brewery also donated $1 for every pint sold at the drive, Ogiejko said.
So many donations have poured in that Ogiejko said he has no words to describe the quantity accumulated. “I basically have a two-car garage at my house, completely full,” he said. “When we pick up from Wendy’s Deli, that will probably be a truckload or more. Then I’m bringing an empty 28-foot trailer to Thompson Speedway where we’ll see, I’m assuming, the same outpouring of goods.”
Reflecting on the generosity he’s seen, Ogiejko said, “It’s amazing. It’s impressive, to say the least, how everyone came together. Everyone just wanted to get some stuff down there — to relieve people’s hardships.”
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Speaking with friends in the area left shattered by the storm, Ogiejko said the “devastation is beyond comprehension.”
Next, once this collection effort is complete, Ogiejko said he hopes to kick off a holiday drive, gathering food and toys for families in need in the hurricane-socked areas.
Ogiejko reflected on how the dire needs in those areas have literally changed daily since the hurricane.
“First there were the necessities — food, water, toiletries, soap. Then there was the need for tools — equipment, chainsaws. And then, the water started subsiding. Then they needed body bags. It was terrible.”
The despair was beyond imagination, he said.
Most recently, the need has been for hats, gloves, blankets, work gloves, sleeping bags, camping supplies, propane heaters, lanterns, hand warmers shampoo, and body wash.
One campsite is opening up specifically for veterans left homeless by the hurricane, he said.
Hardy said she, too, has seen a huge outpouring of love from people wantiing to help.
“The 46 boys are racing this weekend in Thompson but I’m off, and willing to take any last minute donations,” Hardy said. “We’re so thankful for the response so far. We live in one hell of a community.”
Zuhoski said she first joined the effort when she saw Hardy’s post and contacted her to see if she could help. “I mentioned that we could be a drop-off point, and she thought that would be great,” she said. “So many people have jumped in to help.”
Jernick Moving & Storage has even offered to drive their trucks down if there is an overflow, Zuhoski said. “Many local businesses have been collecting for us — customers, social media followers and people as far as Stony Brook have been dropping things off,” she said.
Zuhoski reminded that only new items are accepted at the deli and canned food must not have reached its expiration date.
Watching as the donations pour in has been a life-changing experience, Ogiejko said. “It restores your faith in humanity,” he said. “Everyone has been so volatile lately, so on edge. It’s just nice to see that here, people are getting involved out of the goodness of their hearts. We decided to put something together — and they decided to put something together with us.”
Anyone with donations after Friday should email Ogiejko at [email protected].
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