Merrimack Couple Brings Thousands in Donations to NY

Merrimack couple Tim and Nicole Spano are headed to New York today in a U-Haul truck full of thousands of dollars of supplies they collected to help Hurricane-ravaged Rockaway Beach.

Nicole Spano stood outside the 26-foot U-Haul truck on Thursday night awed at the support they got from local residents and businesses after they put out a call for donations that they would drive down to help those still in the cold since Hurricane Sandy battered the region.

Rockaway beach is the area that lost more than 100 homes in a fire.

"We've done really well tonight," Nicole Spano said looking inside the two-thirds full truck. "We've got more stuff at home, too."

Uno's Chicago Grill on Amherst Street in Nashua, where Tim Spano works, allowed the couple to park the truck in the parking lot for two an a half hours on Thursday to collect donations.

And collect they did. Big bags of pet food, cases of water and blankets were just some of the items that filled the truck.

Spano said they had received load of blankets and comforters – a critical need in an area that is living in wintry temperatures without heat. One hotel, she said, donated 160 comforter sets to them. They also had received loads of donations of cleaning supplies and disposable paper cups and plates.

Aside from just wanting to help, the Spanos have their own connection to the area. Tim was born and raised down there, and Nicole has worked in the tri-state area during the last seven years.

Last weekend the couple drove down to see the destruction themselves.

"It was amazing to see everyone home during the day cleaning up what they could," Spano said. "Dumpsters lined the streets."

Further, she said the business districts were just shut down and people were fighting the cold and unpleasant living conditions to stay in their homes and avoid getting looted.

Luckily for the Spano family, the family home down there was sold last year and they were spared losing what their former neighbors have in this storm. It's for Tim's love of his home that the couple felt inclined to get some much needed help to the residents down there.

On Thursday night, Nicole was assisted by friends Jennifer Smith and Joe Nickerson and her mom Doris Padellaro and her brother John Padellaro. Donations came from friends, family, strangers, local businesses and they even had some donations from as far away as North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

"We were a little nervous at first," Nicole said, "But we've had a lot of great support tonight."