Generous Gander

It’s been over 12 years now since the dreadful, tragic day when four planes attacked and destroyed the World Trade Center buildings as well as doing significant damage to the Pentagon and crashing in rural Pennsylvania.

I’m writing about this terrible incident not because I fear that my readers have forgotten it, but rather to introduce a book which covers the amazing story of the 6,132 people from approximately 40 countries who, because all American airports were closed, were taken to Gander, Newfoundland.

“The Day the World Came to Town” was written by Jim DeFede, an award-winning journalist who shows that the town where all of those travelers were stranded is a remarkable place which should be remembered for its generosity.

Though Gander had a population of only about 10,000 people, they somehow found beds in schools, churches, fraternities, and hotels as well as buildings owned by the Lion’s Club, the Knights of Columbus, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Salvation Army and in nearby villages for all of those travelers to sleep. In addition, they provided food and entertainment and, most of all, genuine friendship which, in many cases, has lasted for more than a decade.

Two ladies from one of the planes even insisted upon sleeping in a tent, in order to give others proper beds. And, after people finally were able to go home, those same ladies stayed to help the people of Gander recover from this huge upset to their lives.

The Canadian Tire store there in town received a phone call from their national bosses saying that everything that was in the store could be given away free. In addition, if there were things needed from other stores in town and those stores’ donation limits had been met, the store could pay for those items as well. As it turned out, they spent approximately $20,000 in giving out their own merchandise and about $10,000 by helping other stores give what was needed.

The owner of the store did have one rule for the toys they gave out, however: “Nothing violent: no war toys, no guns” for she felt that there had already been far too much violence.

There were nine dogs, 10 cats and two monkeys on the planes, and they too were well cared for by folks in town.

When, after some days, the travelers were finally able to leave, some of them actually wished they could have stayed longer. They had had great meals, they had played golf free with borrowed clubs, and in some cases families even let them use their cars to drive around the area while they waited to leave.

After they got home, many Americans were extremely generous, in turn. They purchased 35 computers for school children, gave grants to various churches which had been so helpful, donated $15,000 for people in need, gave money for the Canadian Red Cross and the Salvation Army and provided gifts for the various towns around Gander which had also helped. One unnamed person paid for a new roof on a church, and a doctor from North Carolina gave $15,000 for college scholarships.  

I certainly recommend DeFede’s book, for it will deeply impress you not only with the generosity of the folks of Gander, but also with the hard work the author put into this project. He spent a month in Gander, interviewed about 180 people and truly makes his readers feel amazed with human generosity at its best.