Receiving donations for hurricane victims in N.J.

Victims of the wrath of Hurricane Sandy will receive a bit of Berks County love through a tractor trailer load of goods.

From 5-7 p.m. each night between Nov. 12-26, including weekends, volunteers will load received items into a trailer in front of The Bridge Church in Hamburg, 3561 Old Route 22. Local residents can drop their donations off at the church during the aforementioned time frame, or give the goods to their churches who will in turn transport the items to the trailer.

According to Rev. Fred Diehl, president of the Northern Berks Ministerium and pastor of First United Church of Christ in Hamburg, the ministerium project is aimed at helping the financially depressed area of Irvington, N.J.

”There’s quite a need. New Jersey was hurt and devastated very badly,” said Diehl.

He said the items the ministerium will load the trailer with include: toiletries such as razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, bar soap; both new and gently used winter clothes for children and adults; cleaning supplies such as mops, buckets, floor cleaners, and Clorox in order to disinfect; paper products such as toilet paper, paper towels, and diapers; and bottled water. No food items are requested at this time.

The load of goods will travel to a United Church of Christ in Irvington by way of the trailer and truck donated for the cause by Peters Brothers Trucking in Lenhartsville. The trucking company also donated the driver and the fuel.

The help of the company goes hand in hand with Diehl’s thoughts on the project serving as an activity that will unite the local community.

“We felt it would be very helpful for New Jersey, obviously, but it can be helpful for our community, kind of a unified project to work on together, do something good for some others,” said Diehl. “We think it’s going to be good for us as well as those who receive it.”