(WJAR) — In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, many Rhode Islanders were looking to help out any way they could, so people rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
A donation drive organized by Cardi’s Furniture, WPRO-FM and other local companies managed to fill multiple large trucks with essentials for first responders and grieving families in Manhattan.
The massive turnout at the donation drive, which began two days after the attacks, overwhelmed organizers.
The volunteers ranged from college students and police officers to retirees and radio DJs. (WJAR)
Peter Cardi said he’s still in awe of how many people pitched in.
“You see the street, you see the tractor trailers lined up, and the line just keeps going and going,” Cardi said. “It was overwhelming, we had lines of cars up the highway.”
The volunteers ranged from college students and police officers to retirees and radio DJs.
“You couldn’t turn around and not see people wanting to participate,” Cardi said.
A donation drive organized by Cardi’s Furniture, WPRO-FM and other local companies managed to fill multiple large trucks with essentials for first responders and grieving families in Manhattan. (WJAR)
They passed boxes to one another and loaded them intro trucks, carried bags of supplies from a long line of donors, all the while breaking out into chants of, “USA! USA! USA!”
“They’re counting on these supplies, and they’re counting on all of us,” one volunteer told NBC 10 at the time.
By Friday night, three days after the attacks, a fleet of trucks filled with donations hit the road for New York.
In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, many Rhode Islanders were looking to help out any way they could, so people rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
Ron Cardi was among those traveling with the goods, and it’s a ride he’ll never forget.
“We were fortunate and blessed to have a police escort all the way down from Rhode Island, right through Connecticut, right down into the city,” Ron Cardi said. “When I say there was no one in our way, there was no one in our way.”
The donations arrived to Manhattan in the middle of the night, and it’s safe to say that getting them there took a village.
“No one was going to pull that off with just a few people,” Ron Cardi said. “You needed literally hundreds of people to make that happen.”