If there is anything positive to come out of a disaster it is people’s desire to help. Whether you can give money, goods or time it can be challenging to find the best match for your resources.

Financial Help

The Red Cross does a good job of public relations and is the go-to organizations for many monetary donations. There are many ways to make a direct and noticeable impact with your money:

• The Mayor’s Fund directs 100% of donations into direct response services
• City Meals on Wheels relies on donations to provide meals to housebound
• Friends of Firefighters, NYC Firefighter Brotherhood Foundation and NYC Police Benevolent Associationare supporting firefighters (many of the areas hardest hit are home to NYC firefighters and police officers)
• The NYC Aquarium suffered extensive damage, the ASPCA and Humane Society are caring for displaced animals
• The Jewish Federation, Salvation Army, and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief are providing first response service
• Save The Children is providing relief to displaced children & their families
• Many art galleries & studios were destroyed Craft Emergency Relief Fund is providing support
• All theatre companies were affected by the storm.

Volunteer Help

People are voicing frustration in their desire to volunteer. Keep in mind that relief efforts are geared towards organizing aid to victims not organizing volunteer opportunities. The best approach is to look for a need and fill it.

• Go to a church, mosque or synagogue and ask how to help
• Go to any location that has suffered damage and start carting away debris
• Purchase a few ‘box of coffees’, & some donuts & get to a distressed area
• Create comfort kits for children (books, stuffed toys) and bring them to grammar schools in affected areas
• New York Cares needs volunteers

Donating Goods

• If you donate do so by going to an INDOOR collection spot. Do not leave donations on the ground out of doors (there is a storm coming.)
• Salvation Army & Red Cross centers and houses of worship always welcome donations
• City Harvest and The Food Bank are accepting food donations
• The Public Theatre just announced it is a drop-off site

The impulse to help is a great one. In the days immediately after an emergency often we only need show up to have our efforts put to good use. As time goes by it takes a bit more effort to offer the most effective assistance. But the knowledge that our help is actually helping is a suitable reward.