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Hurricane Ian Victims Aided By SUP BRO and Entire Community

Nov 29, 2022 04:39PM ● By Steve Sears

SUP BRO Inc. members at a National Police Week event (courtesy of Joe DiParisi)

In mid-November, a Frisard’s Trucking tractor trailer from Louisiana carted donations of supplies from the community of East Hanover and beyond down to Lee County, Florida to aid Hurricane Ian victims.

A send off event was held on November 12, 2022 at Lurker Park. Chatham’s DeFalco’s Instant Towing supplied two tow trucks and hung a large American flag above the scene.

“We collected for people who had lost everything. They had nothing,” says Joe DiParisi, East Hanover resident and one of the founders of SUP BRO Inc., a 501c3 non-profit. The group was initially founded in 2019 to aid families of fallen first responders in New Jersey, but has extended its reach beyond the Garden State.

A group of New Jersey and Pennsylvania police officers in 2018 cycled alongside Law Enforcement United and attended the National Police Week event in Washington DC. During the trip, they visited a tent city, a large flea market for police vendors, where DiParisi and his fellow cyclists spoke with some of the vendors, discussed among themselves a t-shirt idea to raise future funds, and then the idea of a non-profit came to mind. Initially for PBA 132 (of New Providence), during the next year they raised $10,000 with some great help. First, Skin Deep Salon of New Providence on March 24, 2019 held an all-day event which raised $5,000, and all of the proceeds that day they gave to PBA 132. Then, DiParisi and his fellow cyclists returned again to Washington, DC the following month during National Police Week, set up their own tent, and raised another $5,000 in the sale of t-shirts. They immediately gave $5,000 to the New Jersey State Police for the widow of officer Frank Williams, who had died in a car accident, and the other $5,000 was donated for the late Melvin Santiago of the Jersey City Police Department, whose mom created the Detective Melvin Santiago Foundation in her son’s name.

After these two initial donations were made, SUP BRO Inc. was officially founded. To date, the non-profit has raised over $20,000.

On Saturday, September 12, 2020, as a follow up to the above, the group held an event at Lurker Park for Hurricane Laura victims that mirrored the one recently held on November 12. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., community residents dropped off a variety of food and other items to be sent to Louisiana. It was a great stepping stone to the Hurricane Ian aid event, where the entire community of East Hanover, the East Hanover police and fire departments, and the Morris County and East Hanover Offices of Emergency Management, got involved again and came through in a big way.

“The community is by far what makes this happen,” DiParisi says. “The township of East Hanover has been nothing but just willing and able to do everything and anything they can to help the cause as soon as they heard about it. It's been really humbling to say the least. Small tragedies occur all the time that we deal with at work, and it’s a good feeling when large tragedies strike and a community comes together to help out strangers in need. The Township of East Hanover has been easy and a pleasure to work with. Anything that was needed was provided without hesitation, from the Mayor and Council, Chief (Christopher) Cannizzo of the EHPD, Chief (Carmine) Davino of the EHFD, and the Recreation Department and (Superintendent) DJ Salvante, and mostly the generous residents and our overly generous sponsors, DeFalco's Towing, Aerus Electrolux, and Art by Elle.”

The tractor trailer containing the much-needed donations arrived at the Lee County Sheriff’s Department in Florida on Monday, November 14. “They have also been great to work with,” DiParisi says of the Lee County Sheriff’s department. As for Frisard’s Trucking, DiParisi adds, “He's a big supporter of National Police Week. He has a dedicated truck that actually has four officer’s names put on it every year. I met him a few years ago and stayed in contact since, and he makes this whole thing happen. He doesn't charge us anything. He sends the truck over to us and he drove it down to Florida.”

SUP BRO Inc. is made possible through donations, which can be made through their website with simple monetary donations, and also the purchase of SUP BRO t-shirts and other merchandise. Visit www.supbro.org for more information.