In 2012, when Hurricane Sandy devastated the east coast, one of the states hit hardest by the storm was New Jersey. Located on a small coastal outlet on the northeast tip of the state, the Sandy Hook Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area is home to many historic National Park Service buildings which were damaged by Sandy.

Building 26 was the site of a restoration project undertaken by HOPE Crew. Three members from the New Jersey Youth Corps removed and built masonry posts along the porch floor, under the watchful eye of preservation expert Guy Hembling. The building, headquarters for the Park Service Unit, had been damaged to the extent that visitors were unable to walk on the porch en route to meetings. Over the course of three weeks, though, corpsmembers were able to repair the porch, and make it accessible to visitors once again.

This work was made possible by Hurricane Sandy relief funds via the National Park Service.