Giving away free stuff isn’t as easy as you might think.

That’s what Project Big Love found on its recent trip to deliver relief supplies to areas ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.

An impromptu grassroots mission, Project Big Love started on Monday, November 5 when Mattapoisett resident Michelle Huggins and her friend Julie Sherman decided to organize supplies and take them to New Jersey and New York.

The following Monday, Huggins, Sherman and fellow Mattapoisett friend Todd Pacheco rolled out of town in a Ford 350 loaded up with donations.

Huggins said they had three possible drop-off points; however, each was full when they arrived.

The trio headed to Union City, New Jersey, where they knew of a restaurant owner Gigi Liaguno-Dorr helping with relief efforts after losing her business.

Since Union City’s relief efforts seemed organized, Liaguno-Dorr directed the group to Staten Island.

Project Big Love was turned away from several Federal Emergency Management Agency donation areas, said Huggins.

“We were told, ‘If it’s not on a palate, shrink-wrapped and neatly organized, we can’t take it,’” she said.

“Disasters are not neat, they’re not organized, and they’re not shrink-wrapped. People can die while waiting for assistance.”

Frustrated, the trio called shelters and food banks across New York City, but found them all to be at capacity.

Huggins said she was thankful that so many generous people had donated gifts, but felt FEMA should have prepared more storage space.

“It’s 12 days in and they’re turning away valuable supplies that potentially they could really use. It’s going to be a long time before everything is back up. It’s quite obvious these people need help,” she said.

Project Big Love found kindred spirits in a small nonprofit called Help is on the Way that was handing out supplies to people on the street.

With the help of army soldiers, Project Big Love unloaded boxes of clothes, backpacks, food, blankets, and other supplies.

Despite the trials, Huggins said, “It was a good trip.”

The items that didn’t fit in Huggins’ truck will be sent to a drop-off point on Long Island over the Thanksgiving holiday with Mattapoisett teacher Maria Tomon.

For more information on donating to that trip, email Tomon at mtomon@orr.mec.edu.

For more on our coverage of Project Big Love, click here.