The morning of Tuesday, Oct. 30, the Bayshore awoke to find their power gone and numerous homes and businesses destroyed, with little information about when life may begin to return to normal.
A few well-prepared homes hummed with the little bit of power their generators provided, however hundreds were displaced due to power outages or structural damage to their home.
DeMarco's, like a few other family-owned businesses in the area, had prepared for the storm with a generator. Owners Eugene, Robert and Louis DeMarco knew what they had to help keep displaced families and hard-at-work emergency personnel properly fed.
On Wednesday, when workers were able to make it safely to Regent Shopping Center on Route 34 where the gourmet deli and bakery is located, it was time to start cooking and baking.
By Tuesday, Nov. 6, DeMarco's had delivered about 15 gallons of soup, 600 sandwiches, over 30 trays of food and countless pounds of fresh bread to the Beers Street School in Hazlet, where the Raine Foundation was helping to run a hot food distribution center for local shelters.
"For 37 the years we've been here, the community has helped us build up our business. It's just a way to pay it forward," Eugene DeMarco said.
