Do Good, Feel Good!

Hello everyone! Every single person living in the coastal areas of the east coast of America knows that it has only been six in half months since Superstorm Sandy hit their homes and businesses. As many people around the world who were not affected by this natural disaster personally have no idea what families are still going through over here-in particular my hometown of Long Beach, NY. So many of my friends and all my family that have lived a very modest and laid back lifestyle are now facing struggles and challenges they never thought they would go through in their entire lives; most are still without homes, necessities and comforts they were used to. But because 'Strong Beach' has a resilient and determined population they are unwilling to pack up and leave the best little beach-town secret that is only 1/2 hour away from the biggest city in the world. One way people are coming together to get back their city they once shared is a project called Pay It Forward. In a nutshell they rebuild lives around the world. This is their mission:

"Our Project has been established to assist in rebuilding the lives, self worth, and the spirit of individuals living in developing nations.  The donations collected from our fundraising efforts will personally be delivered to the neediest individuals, families and organizations.

The money will be put to use in the most economical, culturally appropriate and advantageous way for the recipients, whether it is to help them with their health, livelihoods or education.  The intention being for the recipients to in turn establish and implement grass root programs with the aim of developing self sufficiency(http://www.payitforwardproject.org/page2.html)."

So far every weekend to every other weekend, residents and their children, nephews, nieces, and friends are coming together to work on a business or part of the city to get it back to its original beauty. One business that is close to my heart is a restaurant called Swingbelly's BBQ. During the holiday season they have cooked and made delicious food for the residents of LBC that were without hot food, water, or a friendly face. I actually worked there when they first opened up and let me tell you they have the best mac ' cheese you will ever taste! And the cornbread! and the pulled pork! I can go on and on but they did this out of the kindness of their heart and their love of Long Beach. 

When Pay It Forward sprung up in Long Beach everyone was on board to help out this business. Below I have attached the article with Pay It Forward with Swingbelly's business:

http://longbeach.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/project-pay-it-forward

Have you been to Swingbelly's before? What is your favorite dish? I would love to know!