Light Relief for Superstorm Sandy victims

From left, Christine Overton, Dawn Kirkman, and Christy Clark haul boxes of lanterns from W.T. Kirkman Lanterns’ warehouse to palettes in preparation for shipping Tuesday, Nov. 13, to Jersey City, N.J., and from there to some of the hardest hit areas of Long Island and Breezy Point, N.Y. Woody Kirkman, owner of W.T. Kirkman Lanterns at 2291 Main St., decided to send 288 LED battery-operated lanterns with batteries after hearing from friend Roger Kessler, who is driving an emergency response vehicle distributing aid to Superstorm Sandy victims. The value of the donation is about $10,000, not including freight costs. According to American Red Cross, new blankets and thousands of plasticware—spoons, knives, and forks—are needed. Those donations may be brought to Kirkman’s business from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this weekend through Nov. 19, and the Kirkmans will coordinate the shipping. For more information, call 760-789-2126.