State Sen. Patty Ritchie Tuesday helped pack an oversized van full of hundreds of pounds of donated food, clothing and personal products she collected from people across St. Lawrence Jefferson and Oswego counties.

The people who donated responded to her call for help for the devastated families in flood-ravaged Schoharie County.

The items were to be unloaded by volunteers at the Carlisle Fire Department, and distributed to families who lost their homes and farms in the 500-year flood that followed Hurricane Irene.

Ritchie had collected the items at her district offices in Ogdensburg, Oswego and Watertown after she toured the area in her role as Senate Agriculture Committee Chair, and witnessed firsthand the destruction.

“I met families who had lost everything,” Ritchie said. “When I got home, I knew I had to do something to help.  I asked the people of Central and Northern New York to bring relief supplies to my offices in Oswego, Watertown and Ogdensburg. I’ve been overwhelmed by the way people have responded.

“In addition to individual donors, members of  St. John’s Episcopal Church, the First Presbyterian Church, the associates of Ogdensburg’s Walmart , the Northern New York All-Starz Cheerleaders, Oswego County BOCES  and the Ogdensburg Free Academy Key Club are just a few of the groups whose members collected supplies for these families.”

“Over the years, I’ve seen that when a disaster hits, people reach out to help each other. Today we loaded hundreds of pounds of food and supplies destined for those stricken by Hurricane Irene and Lee. For the past two weeks, people have just been coming in off the street because they heard there are fellow New Yorkers who need their help”

“One young mother came to my office pushing her infant in a stroller with bags of baby formula,” Senator Ritchie said. “Central and Northern New York did not forget how others helped them during the Ice Storm of ’98.”