A rain-soaked day did what the city couldn’t: clean out Zuccotti Park.
Thin-skinned Occupy Wall Street protesters fled for cover as soon as the skies opened up yesterday.
“I got drenched and got angry, so I went to a McDonald’s for breakfast,” said Rebecca Varner, 27, from South Carolina.
The sprint for safety for the protesters was made easier with the 4,000 free pairs of shoes donated by a sympathetic Long Island retailer.
Robert Yeganeh, owner of LoveMyShoes, sent truckloads of footwear over the past three weeks to give comfort to the huddled masses in the lower Manhattan park — but the donations backfired when his customer base lashed out.
“I got a nasty e-mail from a woman whose son works on Wall Street. She said her son works hard, and she is going to lead a boycott of LoveMyShoes,” chuckled Yeganeh.
“I told her I really don’t care what their political agenda is. I just felt bad for them that they have no jobs and are on their feet.”
Another truckload of shoes will be dropped off next week.
The delivery can’t come quick enough for Luis Daniel, 31, a protester who was limping around barefoot in the rain.
“I was asleep and my shoes were stolen. I need a pair, but the comfort station doesn’t have any,” said Daniel, who has been jobless since he was fired from Dunkin’ Donuts in 2007.
“My feet are wet, cold and uncomfortable. I feel like I’m walking on a pair of prunes.”
The shoes are just a small part of the donation avalanche that has poured in to support the cause — though many of the philanthropists are afraid to put a name to the gifts.
Anonymous donors have sent big-ticket items like laptop computers and the cost of wiring Zuccotti Park with free Wi-Fi.
The storage center where the anti-corporate crowd keeps their loot is packed full of everything from sleeping bags to vitamins to cellphone chargers and contact-lens solution.
“ShopRite sent 12 cases of water and American Apparel sent 10 cases of clothes, jackets and hoodies,” said Justin Strekal, 22, a storage-center volunteer who withdrew from Cleveland State University to come to Zuccotti.
The group is also sitting on a war chest of about $300,000 split between Amalgamated Bank and the People’s Federal Credit Union — and requires the signatures of two finance-committee members for withdrawals.
A former Wall Street wife who dropped off supplies yesterday said she felt bad for the protesters.
“I was married to an investment manager who made a s—load of money, and now I’m giving back,” said Brigette Vosse, 57, a fashion designer who used her Mercedes SUV to drop off 11 cots and five big umbrellas.
The protesters were also visited by Alec Baldwin late Tuesday night and Russell Brand, who sat in on last night’s general-assembly meeting.