Sue Piccolo, Food and Restaurants columnist for L’Idea Magazine and president of the Massapequa Lions was also awarded two other Civil Service citations from the Village of Freeport and the Nassau County Legislature for her work in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Here is the content of her presentation by the Salvation Army on May 11th 2013:
Suzzanne “Sue” Piccolo is being honored as someone from the SouthShore (the area covered by The Salvation Army Freeport) who stepped up to help last November when help was very much needed. Sue owns a business in Massapequa and realized there was an opportunity for her to be of service in the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy which left so much devastation in its path, including the south shore of Long Island.
Sue was brought up by her Mom, who was Cherokee Indian and French, and her Dad. Her Mom, she says, was a very strong willed person with strong beliefs. She taught Sue to respect the earth and the people on it, for, she said, this earth is a gift and it is up to each one to care for it. She understood that at an early age. Her Dad, who is 94, says Sue is much like her Mom. Both of her parents instilled in her the importance of caring for the weak, the poor and the elderly and they taught her to keep one eye open for the deceitful. Her Mom used to say there will come a time when someone will want something from you not because they need it but because they can. She understood that as well.
When Hurricane Sandy hit the south shore, people were without electricity, some for several weeks and some for several months. Many people were left homeless for a variety of reasons including flooding in their homes (and many lost their cars). Most had no generators to generate electricity and for those that did, gas was not available for quite a while. With the loss of electricity and the flooding of homes and businesses, the need for food, shelter and clothing (our basic necessities) had to be met.
With the help of a relative in Texas and another in New York, Sue was able to put together a network of people to help. Her cousin in Texas was able to assemble, with the help of the Texas Patriots, 2,500 lbs. of items which would benefit Hurricane Sandy victims. The problem was getting it here to Long Island, especially with the price of gas. Her cousin who works at JFK for a freight company came to her aid. It didn’t take much for him to convince his bosses at SDS Global Logistics that these items needed to be freighted in from Texas. Sue oversaw the operation and knew she didn’t have enough room in the back of her business so she approached her landlord (who was also displaced because of the Storm) and asked if the vacant store next door could be used. He agreed. Then she knew the 2,500 lbs. of goods would be arriving and she would need people to unload all of the items.
Sue is President of her Lions Club in Massapequa, who help those in need on a regular basis. She asked them to help and also asked her local Boy Scout Troop (which normally helps the community) to help with the unloading of these much-needed items. Both agreed. She didn’t realize she’d have to run her own business and also keep the store next door open days and nights for pick ups and additional deliveries. She was able to give her landlord items he needed once the truckload of items arrived, a way of saying thank you. It then became apparent some items would have to be delivered to families with no transportation. She recalls a family of 9 needing food and clothing and had to make a decision who to call because so many of her contacts needed help themselves. She was able to enlist the help of her friend, CarolAnn O’Donnell, who volunteers with the Boy Scouts, to deliver all the needed items to this particular family. It was quite an operation and quite satisfying, knowing so many people were helped.
Sue is no stranger to helping people, and especially young people who are struggling and need a place to stay. She welcomes those who need her. She helps whenever and wherever she is able to help; she’s just one person, but doing what she can to make a difference in this world. Sue does not believe she should be receiving an award when there are so many others who may be more deserving. She believes that plaques should hang from your heart, a hug or a handshake is all she needs to be satisfied that she has done her part in helping others.