02 Nov What You Can Do to Help Those Impacted by Hurricane Sandy?
Watching news coverage of Hurricane Sandy, many people want to know what they can do to help. No matter where you are, you can help those who were in Hurricane Sandy’s path. Relief groups are already on the ground assessing the situation and offering assistance. The best way to help from a distance is to lend your support to experienced, reputable relief groups that are already assisting in the recovery effort. Below are some nationally recognized organizations that are working in the areas impacted by Sandy. You may also want to consider lending your assistance to smaller, local organizations doing similar work.
Donating Money to Relief Organizations
As always, be sure that the relief organization you choose is a reputable one that uses your donation responsibly. A good online resource to use for this purpose is Charity Navigator (http://www.charitynavigator.org), a nonprofit organization that has been independently reviewing charities on the basis of their financial records for the past 10 years.
Helping With Shelter, Food, and Emergency Supplies
The American Red Cross is providing emergency shelter and meals for evacuees. It is accepting donations on its Web site at http://www.redcross.org/. You can also donate $10 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps people affected by disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, and tornadoes, by texting REDCROSS to 90999
AmeriCares (http://www.americares.org/), Direct Relief International (http://www.directrelief.org/), and Feeding America (http://feedingamerica.org/) are providing food, medical supplies, and emergency kits for people in need. All are accepting donations on their Web sites as well as posting updates about what they are doing to help those in Hurricane Sandy’s path.
Helping Children
Save the Children (http://www.savethechildren.org) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the lives of children in the U.S. and around the world. Its mission has taken on a local focus as it is headquartered in Connecticut and is close to the areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Visit Save the Children’s Web site to learn how it is helping children affected by the storm and how you can help them.
Helping Animals
As always, the Humane Society of the United States (http://www.humanesociety.org/) is on the ground and is working to rescue animals caught in the storm and reunite them with their owners. The organization is asking for donations. Also, it is posting daily updates, advisories, and suggestions for how people can help on its Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/humanesociety. Headquartered in New York City, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is in the thick of rescue efforts for animals in the city affected by Hurricane Sandy. The ASPCA is asking for donations on its Web site (http://www.aspca.org/) and posting advisories, information about resources, and updates on its rescue activities on its Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/ASPCA/.
Donating Blood
The American Red Cross had to cancel more than 100 blood drives because of the storm, and supplies are always running low. You can schedule an appointment or search by zip code for blood drives near you at http://www.redcrossblood.org/.
Helping to Clean Up
There are many groups organizing volunteer cleanup crews throughout the areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy. You may want to check for opportunities with your local government, volunteer, community, and religious organizations.
This is intended for general information only. It does not provide the reader with specific direction, advice, or recommendations. You may wish to contact an appropriate professional for questions concerning your particular situation.