Bayswater Gemach: Continuing to help in the wake of Sandy

As the areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy continue to struggle to return to normal, others continue to find ways to help put their neighbors back on their feet.

In the days after the storm, those not seriously affected rushed to donate clothing, but many of the clothing gathering sites, the gemachs, were damaged. One woman in Bayswater, now seeing the need and the demand for children’s clothing, is working to fill that gap.

It is a gemach, the word a consolidation of the words gemilut chasadim, or act of kindness, for free children’s clothing distribution “to benefit our community and those affected, to help those hit by the storm as well as needy families,” said Jessica, the woman who is seeking more donors for the gemach.

“Boruch Hashem our home was not affected by Hurricane Sandy,” said Jessica. “We had a generator for five houses.” The homes in her area jointly connected to a generator providing minimal power but not enough to run the machines to do laundry. Needing pajamas for her children, she went to get some from the gemach then in Shor Yoshuv. The gym there had an ”enormous amount of things,” she said. Many families were affected by the storm, large families, and she took things in the sizes those families needed and gave them out.

“I had a dream as a little kid that I always wanted to open a children’s clothing store,” she said, laughing. “My friends know that, but I never did it. I love shopping for my kids.”