In Lindenhurst, Sandy donations to the max

Dressed in an Iron Man costume for a late Halloween celebration, Christopher Greene, 6, struggled to hold the large bowl full of Halloween candy as he looked over his shoulder at the Lindenhurst Fireman's Pavilion, where he had just donated two large garbage bags filled with various toys, including his Elmo dolls and Thomas the Train engines, for families affected by superstorm Sandy.

"I donated my toys to the children, because they lost their clothes, and their homes, and their toys," Christopher, of Lindenhurst, said on Saturday.

On Saturday, the volunteers at the Lindenhurst Fireman's Pavilion got so many donations -- piles of clothes, toys, food, DVDs and electronics were more than 3 feet deep -- that at one point they had to direct people to other nearby drop-off areas because they had reached capacity.

“It’s not that we don’t need anything, it’s just that we have no room for it,” said Lindenhurst Fire Chief James Gallagher. “Right now, we’re down to just collecting gift cards.”

After the Lindenhurst Fireman's Pavilion was filled, three fire trucks were removed from the firehouse to fit the excess donations.

“We filled the firehouse and emptied it four times today,” said Gallagher. “It was just as far as the eye can see.”

For Christopher Greene, the effort overall is a “lifelong lesson” on “the true meaning of giving,” said his grandmother, Tina Greene.

She added: "His mother kept pulling stuff out and he was like. 'Donate it. Donate it. Donate it. They need it more than I do.' "