Mahwah Family Flood Fund Now Accepting Applications

The , a charity set up by the and township resident Michael Beatrice after Hurricane Irene, has collected about $26,000 that it plans to distribute to families whose homes were affected by the natural disaster.

According to Beatrice, the charity is looking for residents to apply to the group now to get their share of the collected funds. “Anyone who lives in Mahwah, was affected by the hurricane, and has yet to receive help can apply,” he said.

Those looking to apply can do so through an application that can be submitted via email. “It is easy to sign it and fill it out,” Beatrice said. “Basically, we just need to know what happened to you, and why you think you deserve the money.”

Applicants can contact Beatrice’s office at 201-512-8200, or the Church at 201-327-1276, or email mahwahfloodrelief@gmail.com to get the application. The fund will email residents a claim form and instructions on how to fill it out and submit it. Beatrice said anyone who is interested in picking up some of the funding to help relieve costs associated with storm recuperation should apply “as soon as possible.”

“We want to try to get people some money for the holidays, and we hope to have all of the money distributed by the end of the year,” Beatrice said. “There are a lot of costs associated with this that people don’t even realize.  Some people have been buying all new clothes for work because their clothes were destroyed by the flooding; people have been spending on all of these additional out-of-pocket expenses and we are hoping to help with that.”

Beatrice said people can also apply for several hundred dollars worth of Shop Rite gift cards that were collected by the fund.

“The community really came together to help. The Church collected $6,000, and some of the local businesses like Dial America, Inserra Supermarkets, Haitz Electric, and Allendale Associates made big donations,” Beatrice said.

The fund will continue to collect donations, he said. Donation checks can be made payable to “ICC Mahwah Family Flood Relief Fund,” and mailed or dropped off to Father Bill Sheridan, 900 Darlington Ave., Mahwah.

“I think we’ve raised a significant amount and we want to continue to help,” Beatrice said.