An update on the volunteer effort in the New York City area.
The people most in need in areas like the Rockaways (which faces dropping temperatures and another, smaller storm tomorrow night) are likely to be the poorest residents and the elderly, residents that were unable to relocate to relatives or friend’s houses inland.
Occupy Sandy: Their twitter feed provides an up-to-the minute list of activities and opportunities. A friend and I delivered blankets to their St. Jacobi Church location in Sunset Park, Brooklyn yesterday, and I can report that their volunteer relief operation looks effective and well-organized. Having said that, the miles of affected beachfront and waterfront housing around the city has created an enormous need not yet met by city services. If you’d like to help, Occupy Sandy is a place to start, and there are several other groups that have repurposed themselves to help in the effort and are worth scanning too, to get a more complete picture.
596 Acres is working in the Rockaways and has a detailed list of requests for both items and manpower.
iVolunteer is a group whose main mission is to connect volunteers with Holocaust survivors. They’ve joined the relief effort to help homebound elderly people stranded in high rises in Far Rockaway, where power has not be restored yet. For info on their activities and how to connect, go here. They are affiliated with a parallel effort to reach the Rockaways, Sandy Help, which was written up in the NYT during the first week of response.
Food Trucks: Hot food is important and is going to get more important. JetBlue has been sponsoring the NYC Food Trucks response since the storm, and now trucks seem to be circulating through most of the affected areas. The initiative is on its second IndieGogo campaign, and you can support it here.
To help from a desktop: the Mayor’s Fund for NYC gives 100% of your donation to hurricane relief. Alternatively, Occupy Sandy has an Amazon wish list.
Information from the city: Food, blanket and water distribution locations in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, along with the addresses for overnight shelters.
Thoughtful reading:
Douglas Rushkoff: on the illusion of self-sufficiency, the aftermath of the storm, and the election.