Miller's Ale House of Levittown Feeds Sandy Victims

Story and photos by Nicole Murphy.

As Superstorm Sandy has left thousands of Long Islanders turning to shelters for power, hot food and a place to sleep, Miller's Ale House has helped ensure fresh meals are served in Levittown.

Service Manager and Levittown resident Lance Wolff is no stranger to helping those in need. For more than two decades, Wolff has worked within the community to deliver Christmas gifts to needy families, as well as leading a group of volunteers in the annual Polar Bear Plunge against cancer.

When Wolff saw the aftermath of Sandy and what it took from so many Long Islanders, he knew his restaurant could offer some sort of relief to those living in nearby shelters or turning to local organizations for a simple meal.

"We lost power for two days and then we received a generator from Florida," said Wolff. "We hooked that up for one day and we were back on full power last Thursday. Since then, we've been feeding every day. My chef Tara is in the kitchen all day every day making sure food is made for everyone, breakfast and dinner."

Wolff reached out to the local Red Cross shelter at Levittown Memorial High School, St. Bernard's Church and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

"We've been able to feed about 200 people at the shelter alone, and hundreds more at the churches," Wolff said. "These are people in local communities that have nothing. They can't go home because they don't have power, food, water or even a house. We want to help."

Delivering hot meals to people in such trying times was an experience that Wolff found hard to explain.

"My God, it's probably the best feeling in the world," he said. "You're walking into where people have been uplifted from their lives and getting a hot meal delivered to them is a privilege. They're just ecstatic to see people doing that for them. It's like a little kid opening presents on Christmas morning."

As long as victims from the storm are in need, Wolff said he and the Miller's Ale House staff will be there to help.

"We'll continue to feed them, the shelter and the churches, until we are told that we no longer need to."

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