By NJCA: In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, there are people throughout New Jersey whose entire lives have been turned upside down. People saw their homes swept away, along with all their memories and everything that was precious to them. It takes years to make a house become your own unique home, and the product of all those years disappeared before their eyes. The sense of security that their homes gave them vanished overnight.

The situation that has befallen these people is tragic.

But even as their own homes were being washed away, emergency personnel kept on working to save lives. The NJCA is personally familiar with many stories of heroic EMS workers, firefighters and policemen who were out helping other during the storm even as their homes were destroyed and they lost everything they owned in the world.

We have a responsibility to aid the emergency personnel that work to serve the public on a regular basis, and in particular worked for days on end to help the rest of us during Superstorm Sandy. As a communal effort, the New Jersey Chaplains Association is coordinating a fundraising campaign to help emergency personnel who have sustained damages to their homes and property during Sandy.

Many of the emergency personnel who lost everything live or work right in your town. They might have helped you out on any occasion. As residents of cities and towns that benefit on a daily basis from the efforts of emergency personnel, we should all stand together and show them our gratitude by helping them out in their time of need. The least we can do is help those who give everything they have to help others.

The NJCA is coordinating efforts with local PBAs as well as other organizations to arrange for the funds to be donated to emergency personnel in need.

Please assist in this effort by donating what you can to the New Jersey Chaplains Association, marked Emergency Fund. You can also drop off new children clothing, toys, baby items, cribs, strollers, or any other essential items to meet the needs of displaced persons, to be donated to the families of emergency personnel.

Funds and clothing can be mailed or dropped off at NJCA headquarters at72b Park Avenue, or phoned in to 732-719-2110. Tax-deductible checks can be made out to NJCA, which is a 501C-3 organization.