Setauket Mom Pitches In To Support 'Operation Sandy Claus'

Tracey Bogush spent a decade living in Island Park and has enjoyed countless bicycle rides down the Long Beach boardwalk. So after "superstorm" Sandy hit, Bogush was motivated to contribute towards a campaign called Operation Sandy Claus.

In Operation Sandy Claus, Bryan Murphy of the Facebook group Sandy Help LB is collecting holiday stockings filled with toiletries for kids and adults.

"When I read a thread on Facebook about what one man was trying to do, I figured it is simple enough to pass it on and ask others to help," Bogush said in an email to Patch. "I do believe that many people want to help and really just aren’t sure how to."

According to Murphy's Operation Sandy Claus, the needs are:

• Children's hand-written holiday cards
• Gift cards up to $25 (Long Beach local businesses or "Target type" gift cards)
• Toiletries and any other items that fit in a stocking (get as creative as you want).

Murphy's post says he intends to hand out stockings door-to-door between Dec. 15 and Dec. 22. Bogush said she is collecting items through Dec. 12 to be delivered to Murphy's Long Beach real estate office. Bogush also said community service hours can be awarded for kids who participate in the project.

"I just want kids – well, everyone – to know that 'paying it forward' isn’t hard," said Bogush, a Setauket mom of three. "... Helping others doesn’t limit us to just helping those directly around us, but to teach our kids that you should help anybody and influence others to do so."

Email her at caremore34@gmail.com to arrange for collection of the stockings and donated items.