Disaster Assistance and How You Can Help

Faced with yet another day of my kids out of school, I decided to see what we could do locally to help out the many people in need in our region. After a quick online search I found a long list of needed items for people who have temporarily, or permanently lost their homes. The list included basics like coats, blankets, hats, and socks as well as pet food and diapers. I enlisted my daughters to scour our house for things on the list and within 20 minutes we had an enormous pile of stuff we could donate, stuff we probably would not even miss. Next stop was the grocery store for items we didn’t have at home. My girls loved picking out baby food and diapers and even canned meals (“Mom, why don’t we get to have Spaghetti-Os?”). We loaded the car up to the gills and delivered the goods to a local family that is making daily trips to the hardest hit areas of Staten Island. A good way to fill up several idle hours? Yes. A great way to let my kids be part of the process of healing what Sandy wrought? Absolutely.

Here’s another local collection site: Araya Rebirth, 10 Garber Square in Ridgewood is gathering and delivering items to the Shore towns, Moonachie and Jersey City. Items needed are: cleaning products, school supplies, non-perishable food, tupperware, new socks, new under ware, diapers, hand sanitizer, travel size toiletries, liquid hand soap, paper towels, toilet paper, kitchen towels, clean rags that can used for cleaning.

If you’d like to assist with the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts these are suggestions from the Corporation for National & Community Service:

Give Blood
The need for blood rises during disasters of this scale, and this problem is exacerbated in affected areas where blood drives may have been cancelled. You can locate information about donating through the American Red Cross or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Cash Contributions
Cash donations are very useful in situations where supplies must be acquired quickly. This is the most efficient way to make an impact with your donations. If you need help in determining who to give to, theNational Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster website has a list of major nonprofits that are active in disaster work or you can make your offer through the National Donations Management Network.

Don’t Send Unsolicited Donations
One of the biggest issues around disasters is the amount of unsolicited item donations that start to come in immediately. It’s better to wait until communities assess and confirm their needs before you start to send things in. At that time, you can make your donations through non-profits in the National Donations Management Network.

New Jersey and New York are working with the following organizations to provide relief:  New Jersey Cares, Occupy Sandy Relief, New York Cares, American Red Cross: Greater New York Region,  The Volunteer Center,  NYC Service