Cardi's sending relief to Sandy victims

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) -- Local businesses are teaming up to send truckloads of relief supplies to the hardest-hit victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Cardi's Furniture and Arpin Van Lines held a collection drive Friday at Cardi's locations in West Warwick, Swansea, Attleboro, and Braintree, to benefit storm victims in New York and New Jersey.

• Photos: Sandy Relief in RI & Mass.

Volunteers from both businesses, as well as the Rhode Island Police Academy and the American Red Cross, helped load multiple tractor trailers with essential supplies, such as clothing, coats, toiletries, baby items, blankets, bottled water, and canned foods.

"It's going directly to New York and New Jersey," explained Ron Cardi of Cardi's Furniture. "We've got the logistics set up, it's going to get to the people that need it, and it will be there tomorrow."

Ron Cardi tells Eyewitness News the response from the public was overwhelming.

"Since quarter to seven this morning  people have been showing up, in fact some people started showing up yesterday."

Cardi’s Furniture & Arpin Van Lines have teamed-up for relief drives in the past, including sending 22 tractor trailers of supplies to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In 2010, they were able to send 10 trailers of medical supplies to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.