Storm Sandy: Pet Food and Supply Drive

It's no surprise that shortly after storm Sandy hit, Marco Deriu of Waterbury, CT was on the front lines helping with recovery efforts: Deriu has a history of serving the public and for many years was a volunteer firefighter and EMT. He and his brother, Roberto “Chester” Deriu, have an equal hand in this charitable endeavor and made it a joint effort to start a pet supply drive for the animals displaced by Hurricane Sandy. So far their efforts have received both encouragement and donations from Good Samaritans, who have donated food, bedding and toys, but the drive has just begun and will continue until November 26th.

Both brothers are animal lovers. In fact, Marco is also the proud owner of two very lucky rescued canines, Dale and JR.

Marco found Dale running around the intersection of Silver Street and Hamilton Avenue in Waterbury. He stopped in the road to get him out of the intersection. When he opened his door, Dale jumped into Marco's car before he could get out of the car to grab him! At that time, Marco noticed the dog was beaten, malnourished (so badly that he could see the pup's ribcage sticking out from underneath his skin) and had terrible ear infections. That day, Deriu took him home, fed him, bathed him and the next morning, brought him to the veterinarian.

He spotted his next canine companion, JR, in front of the family's auto shop on Baldwin Street. JR was standing in the middle of the road about to get run over by a car. Deriu jumped in front of the car and saved him. He searched for the owner for a few months. When no one came forward, he decided to keep him.
Though Roberto doesn't have any dogs, he treats Dale and JR as if they were his own. Roberto actually has two kitties, Psycho and Gizmo, that he and his girlfriend, Darlene adopted as kittens.

There are three drop-off places for the items (addresses listed below). The pet food and supply drive will be ongoing until November 26th.

One important thing Marco noted,“We are looking for food for all pets not just cats and dogs. Many people only think of them [cats and dogs] when pets are in need, but forget about birds, fish and smaller caged animals, too. We need things for them and things like kitty litter, bedding, bowls, bottled water, treats, toys, etc.”

Bring your items and donations to any of these three drop off locations between now and November 26:

Deriu & Sons' Auto

1945 Baldwin Street

Waterbury CT

The Dark Horse Saloon

35 Old State Rd.

Oxford, CT

Summit Hills Farm

1119 Summit Rd.

Cheshire, CT  (a large gray trailer near the entrance will be the drop point)

Helpful Links:

Hurricane Sandy Pet Drive's Facebook Page

Click here for event more information