Cafe helping hurricane victims

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - A truck full of donations will be departing Indianapolis next week headed to New Jersey to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. It's the idea of a man whose heart for New Jersey is even bigger than his mammoth sandwiches.

If you know Blair Laing you know he's not from around here.

"I always wear my Giants hat during Giants’ season. I recently switched when things went really south for the Yankees," said Laing.

The New Jersey born and bred executive chef of Jersey Cafe takes no shortcuts when making his famous Jersey sandwiches 100 percent authentic.

"Everything else that we get comes out of New Jersey, I mean everything that we buy, so we have a bit of an issue right now when it comes to how we get things."

But food was the last thing on Laing's mind when he saw the destruction to his home state following Hurricane Sandy's wrath. His heart broke watching the boardwalks and beaches he grew up on get destroyed under the storm's weight.

"I looked at that and I said the best thing we can do is start doing a food drive, start bringing in things that everyone from Jersey is telling me they need and they are desperate for these items," said Laing.

Laing decided when his weekly delivery truck shows up next week from New Jersey, he's not sending it back empty.

"We're here in Indiana. We haven't been affected. We've pretty much lived a good life so far as economy goes. We need to give back to these people and help them out in their time of need."

Jersey Cafe is now the drop-off spot for donations: bottles of water, industrial garbage bags, work gloves.

"I want to send as much back as I possibly can. If I could give them my whole house, I'd give them my house, you know, these people are desperate. They need help," said Laing.

You can drop off any and all donations at Jersey Cafe located at 13710 North Meridian in Carmel.