November 5, 2012
By William C. Rudin, ABNY Chairman
As New York continues to rebuild following the impact of Hurricane Sandy, ABNY is spreading the word about additional opportunities for New Yorkers to support or volunteer with organizations on the front lines of the relief efforts.
New York Cares is offering volunteer opportunities throughout the weekend for those who would like to donate their time. Sign up on their website to help various clean up efforts at the Gowanus Warehouse in Brooklyn, Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx, and Randall’s Island Park in Manhattan, or to sort clothing at the Housing Work’s warehouse.
Safe Space, an organization that serves vulnerable children and families throughout Queens, is providing much-needed help to nearly 250 families in Far Rockaway (including more than 500 children). If you would like to help these families, Safe Space's most urgent needs are financial donations to help purchase food and water supplies. Donations of non-perishable food items and water are also helpful. Complications from the storm have left Safe Space's communications systems impaired, so if you are able to help, please directly contact Safe Space President Christine Molnar at (917) 621-6913 or molnar.christine@gmail.com . For more information, please visit their website.
Staten Island Recovers is spearheading the relief movement in the borough of Staten Island. Staten Island residents are in need of food deliveries, generators, tree removal, pumping and much more. Visit Staten Island Recover’s website or call (347) 934-9927 to learn how to make and drop off donations of any kind throughout the weekend.
ABNY Members City Harvest, Citymeals-on-Wheels, and The Food Bank for New York City are also great outlets for support and are all currently on the road delivering meals to relieve some of New York’s hardest hit areas. To make a food donation to City Harvest, contact Racine Rodriguez at (347) 443-8413 or rrodriguez@cityharvest.org ; to volunteer, contact Brittany Erdman at (516) 287-0170 or berdman@cityharvest.org . Citymeals-on Wheels does not need any more volunteers this week but is accepting donations on their website. The Food Bank for New York City is accepting both donations and volunteers; please visit their website to contribute and learn more about volunteering.
Local elected officials are also organizing volunteer opportunities around the city to bring much needed supplies to those in need during this crisis. To find out who your local elected official is and how to contact them, visit http://www.lwvnyc.org/TRY_find.html.
