$2,500 Grants and Free Labor Offered to Sandy-Affected Homeowners

The Middletown Disaster Relief Fund has announced it will distribute $325,000 in grants to homeowners who have been affected by Superstorm Sandy, thanks to a check it received this week from the Robin Hood Foundation.

Under the guidelines set by Robin Hood, property owners will need to fill out a four-page application that asks for income verification.

The needs will be reviewed by a specially formed 9-member committee at the New Monmouth Baptist Church on Cherry Tree Farm Road, which has been in the forefront of helping out after the storm. The committee will make recommendations to the Relief Fund, which will distribute the grants.  

There are 1,400 homes in Middletown that have suffered some kind of Sandy-inflicted damage. Of those, 259 of them have more than 50 percent damage.

"The need is still unbelievable, as far as I'm concerned," said Gary Steidl, the Deacon Chairman who will oversee the Committee, comprised of two other deacons serving as co-chairs, one member of the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund and six church goers chosen for their professional backgrounds in finance and charitable work.

"Not much has been done yet; people are tied up in red tape with insurance companies and individual funds," said Steidl. "Some people are back on their feet, but for many the need is as if it happened a couple of days ago." 

In reviewing the applications, the New Monmouth Baptist Church committee will also be able to identify opportunities for volunteers to perform free labor. Through its partnership with Mission NYC, teams of 80 volunteers will be coming to stay at the church gym on Cherry Tree Farm Road each week, from mid-May to mid-August. "It's unskilled labor. But anybody who needs a house gutted, a yard raked, we can provide that help," said Steidl.

The church is involved in the grant process because both the church and the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund applied to the Robin Hood Foundation separately, at the same time, and the Foundation chose to group them together. With the help of the Middletown Volunteer Corps, its contacts among Sandy-affected homeowners and its bank of 300 volunteers, the synergy has many benefits, "We all just sort of fit together," said Steidl. 

Details

• The program is limited to Middletown Township residents only.

• The program will provide funding and/or volunteer labor to help residents with the rebuilding process.  Volunteer labor may include demolition, cleanup (inside or out) and repair work that does not require construction permits. 

•  Electrical and plumbing labor is excluded.

• Residents who do not receive a grant may still receive assistance in volunteer labor and should fill out application regardless to assess needs.

• The program may also provide other types of assistance to residents in need on a case-by-case basis. All severely affected residents should fill out an application so their needs can be assessed.

• The maximum amount of funding for each applicant is $2,500.

To apply, residents must fill out the attached application and return it to either the New Monmouth Baptist Church or via mail to the Middletown Disaster Relief Fund, PO Box 4068  Middletown, NJ 07748

All inquiries and questions should be sent to middletownrelief@gmail.com or the New Monmouth Baptist Church at sandyrelief@nmbchurch.org   The organization asks that applicants do not contact the Mayor's office or the Township of Middletown. The fund is an independent registered 501(c)3. 

Applications must be submitted by July 15, 2013. 

Forms can be found on the Middletown Disaster Relief website, at Middletown Town Hall at the Clerk’s Office or by contacting the New Monmouth Baptist Church at nmbchurch.org.  Income and other verification will be required.