When Hurricane Sandy hit the northeastern United States in 2012, it left behind not just devastation but an enormous amount of debris — wood and timber washed ashore across miles of coastline. The Drift Relief project turned some of that wreckage into something beautiful: painted driftwood pieces sold to raise money for those who lost everything. One of the most honest examples of art as genuine community response we’ve seen — not symbolic, not performative, but actually useful.

A unique charity and beautiful art project, Drift Relief finds driftwood left behind from Hurricane Sandy, and paints the wood in lovely patterns and colors. The unique pieces are sold, and the proceeds go to benefit those who “lost it all” in the storm.

I’ve always loved painted driftwood, and even grew up with driftwood ‘snakes’ scattered throughout my home. But these pieces tell a story, and their cause is worth your dollars.

Via Drift Relief: Each piece of driftwood or broken boardwalk was collected in the aftermath of Sandy and is hand painted and labeled with the name of the beach where it was found.