STATEN ISLAND — Volunteers who leapt to action after Hurricane Sandy have been awarded by Staten Island elected officials in Albany.
Tom Cunsolo, who started the Midland Beach Alliance and the Interfaith Long Term Recovery Unit; Lorenzo Hodges from Jezreel International; and William Burdick from Home Depot were all given State Proclamations Wednesday for their recovery work after the storm.
"Home Depot, Jezreel International and Tom Cunsolo have been invaluable to the post-Sandy relief of Staten Island," said Assemblyman Matthew Titone in a statement.
"With this team at the forefront of the recovery effort, every Sandy victim on the island can rest assured that their voices will be heard, their needs will be met and together we will help reclaim their lives and rebuild Staten Island."
The trio were honored by the officials for organizing a monthly caravan of supplies from Home Depot's warehouse to Staten Island residents that needed help rebuilding.
So far, over $470,000 worth of goods have been donated to Cunsolo's organization, which distributes the supplies to residents in need, Hodges said.
"I am devoted to seeing this effort through until Staten Island is back on its feet," Hodges said in a statement.
Aside from Titone, the proclamations were presented by State Senators Andrew Lanza and Diane Savino; Assembly members Joe Borelli, Nicole Malliotakis and Michael Cusick.
"A comforting hope for the residents affected by Hurricane Sandy has been, without question, the countless people who have dedicated so much of their time helping Staten Islanders affected by this disaster," Cusick said.
"I am grateful and proud to see the support that continues to be shown to our community and thank these organizations and individuals for all of their help."
