Web tool helps direct donations to rebuild after Sandy

Communities hit hard by Superstorm Sandy are still looking for ways to get donations into the hands of those in need.  It’s a complicated process, but they think they have a tool to make it easier.

These days, it’s not unusual for anything from a truckload of construction supplies to 20,000 cans of chili to just show up in Ocean County.

Stanley Fischer is in charge of in-kind donations for the county’s recovery efforts. While he’s looking for a warehouse to hold all this stuff, he’s encouraging donors to check out AidMatrix.org.

“We have a woman in LBI that needs baby furniture. You go onto the AidMatrix website, and there is a person in Jersey City that has baby furniture,” said Fischer.

There are some logistical road bumps, like how to get the furniture from Jersey City to Long Beach Island.

“If for instance, somebody was to donate a small box truck, we’d have to get insurance for that truck, we’d have to get fuel for that truck,” he said.

Fischer says these challenges aren’t insurmountable — they’ll just require more generosity.