For the next couple of months, Food+Tech Connect will be posting a weekly update of volunteer, donation and eating opportunities to help support recovery efforts. Please share tips to @foodtechconnect on twitter, on Facebook or in the comments section below.

This Weekend

11/17

12-4PM: FoodtoEat.com is putting together an East Village “Food Crawl” to help support some of the restaurants affected by Sandy.

11-2PM: High-production farm at Kingsborough Community College (between T1 and T2), in partnership with Project EATS is hosting an Urban Farm work day. Help them clean and rebuild. Bring friends, classmates, and coworkers. They'll have hot tea, and they will have work gloves and over-boots to lend. More info here

9am: Rebuild Staten Island still needs volunteers for rubbish removal & demolition, cleanup, and information gathering. They will begin working at 9am but you can arrive later as well. More information and the list of their needs available here.

Occupy Sandy is a coordinated relief effort to help distribute resources & volunteers to help neighborhoods and people affected by Hurricane Sandy. They are doing an amazing job of getting stuff done. Click here for the latest volunteer information or follow them on Facebook.

11/18

9:30 AM: SandyBaggers are linking up with NY City Council to get buses of volunteers out to hard-hit areas in Brooklyn, Queens and/or Staten Island to do a variety of work, including clean-up/out, resident canvassing, food/water distribution, and small business assistance. More information available here.

9am: Rebuild Staten Island still needs volunteers for rubbish removal & demolition, cleanup, and information gathering. They will begin working at 9am but you can arrive later as well. More information and the list of their needs available here.

Occupy Sandy is a coordinated relief effort to help distribute resources & volunteers to help neighborhoods and people affected by Hurricane Sandy. They are doing an amazing job of getting stuff done. Click here for the latest volunteer information or follow them on Facebook.

11/19 -21: Pies for Sandy is a sweet relief effort to bake an assortment of pies the day before Thanksgiving and to deliver pies to those affected by Sandy on Thanksgiving morning. You can participate by donating ingredients, helping to bake the pies and helping to deliver pies. You can deliver the fruit and nuts to Diamond Bar (43 Franklin St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn) on Monday, November 19 through Wednesday, November 21, any time after 5pm. They will also be convening to assemble and bake the pies at a loft in Greenpoint (Brooklyn) on Wednesday, November 21. More info available here.

EAT

Red Hook Lobster Pound is asking people to purchase gift certificates to help them rebuild. Investments start at $28. More info here.

#dineoutNYC is promoting recovery for the restaurant industry by encouraging people to dine out in New York City, as well as tasty fundraisers for others affected by the storm. Visit the #dineoutNYC website for more information.

#EatDownTipUp is an effort encouraging people to dine and tip generously at lower Manhattan restaurants. The website features the stories of lower Manhattan restaurants' Sandy-related losses and needs. Visit #EatDownTipUp or follow the hashtag on Twitter for more information.

Jimmy's No. 43 does a lot for the community and local farmers, so now it's our time to give back by patronizing their restaurant when it opens or buying tickets to upcoming events.

Northern Spy Food Co. is a small neighborhood restaurant focused on locally-sourced and seasonally-oriented food. Like other restaurants in the East Village, Northern Spy lost power, but Chef Christophe Hille decided to make the most of their perishables and cooked food for the neighborhood, for free. You can support Northern Spy by  purchase gift certificates and make dinner reservations, please visit their website.

Heritage Foods, which sells sustainably-raised meat from 40 Midwest and New York-based farms, is asking people to help out the restaurants, retail shops and farms that serve and produce their products, many of which have lost thousands of dollars in waste from spoiled food and lost business. You can help these restaurants by making reservation or purchasing gift cards. To help their farmers, visit their online store and place an order.

FARMS

Slow Food NYC has a list of relief needs from some local farms and food establishments.

Added Value, a Red Hook community farm and youth empowerment program, has been submerged in sea water, ruining its harvest, topsoil, beehives and office. There is also possible soil contamination. You can help by donating or volunteering. Follow their updates on Facebook. According to Slow Money NYC, Added Value is looking for replacements for technologies ruined in the flood, including 2 laptop computers (used are okay), 5 iPads and 5 Android smartphones.

Brooklyn Grange lost their apiary and over one million honey bees, which had been located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in the storm. Last spring, the Grange raised $22,000 through Kickstarter to build the city's largest apiary. You can help them rebuild their apiary by donating here.

FEED OTHERS

Farmigo is collecting donations to purchase food from local farmers in the NY/NJ region and redistribute it to those in need, in the form of hot food. You can take part in this effort which will benefit both families the local farming community. More info about donating here.

Kitchensurfing is raising funds to help supply chefs with ingredients for hot meals for people in the hardest hit areas of New York City. Funds go only towards ingredients and transportation. Support the project here.

Greenmarket's across NYC are accepting donations of fresh produce, batteries, flashlights, and cleaning supplies to help New Yorkers recover from the storm. Donations will be delivered to City Harvest and community organizations in Red Hook, Rockaways, and Staten Island that are serving hot meals to neighborhood residents.  Learn more here.

Red Hook Initiative needs volunteers to help sort through donations, deliver meals to the home bound, provide kitchen back up and help with clean up. Learn more here or report to 767 Hicks at West 9th starting at 10 am.

Occupy Sandy needs volunteers to distribute resources and supply donations, like blankets, candles, flashlights, batteries, water, food, socks, towels, printer paper, baby items and more. Learn more here.

Meat Hook is collecting donations for Rockaway residents, including canned goods, nonperishable food, blankets, jackets, gloves, hats, socks, plates, cups, bowls, utensils, cleaning supplies, brooms, mops, sponges, garbage bags, water and tarps. Learn more here.

Print Restaurant is preparing food for The American Red Cross and looking for ingredient, culinary volunteers, transportation to help cook for others and collaborations with other restaurants. Contact johanna@printrestaurant.com.

Neighbors Together, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty in the Ocean Hill, Brownsville, and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn, is looking for donation to repair the damage to their industrial freezer and refrigerator and recover from food loss at their soup kitchen. alabama cigarette priceshape=”rect” target=”_blank”>Donate here.

Masbia soup kitchen network is need of donations to help feeding 600+ relocated seniors at the Park Slope Armory. For only $6 they can serve one person a freshly cooked nutritious hot dinner.

Citymeals-on-Wheels has been working to ensure New York's homebound elderly have access to food. They are in need of volunteers for meal deliveries throughout the week. They are also looking for donations to help replenish their supplies.

City Harvest is asking those interested in volunteering to contact volunteerservices@cityharvest.org, or donate to help feed children, the elderly, and all hungry New Yorkers.

Food Bank For New York City is looking for financial donations, volunteers, and food donations.

St. Jacobi Church in Sunset Park is opening its kitchen to volunteers looking to help to cook hot food. Bring food and supplies.

Delivery.com is asking people to convert their Delivery Points into a cash donation to City Harvest. Learn more here.

TECHNOLOGY

New York Tech Responds (organized by NY Tech Meetup and New Work City) is looking for volunteers to help schools, non-profits, and small businesses to get their information systems back online. Those in need of tech-related resources can also list their needs here.

GENERAL RESOURCES

Indiegogo has a number of Sandy related campaigns. Learn more here

Occupy Sandy Wedding Registry is an amazon registry created by Occupy Sandy to make it easy for people to donate items to the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Visit the registry here.

SmallKnot, a crowdfunding platform for local businesses, is opening up their platform to allow rebuilding campaigns not just for business owners, but to anyone who wants to lend a hand.  If you or a group of friends are interested in running a fundraising campaign on behalf of a business affected by Sandy, please send us an email at rebuild@smallknot.com.  More information is available here.

Tunnel to Towers Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund is raising money to go directly to Staten Island residents. More information available here.

The American Red Cross is seeking volunteers 16 or older to work 12-hour shifts at local New York City shelters. Need to be able to carry 50 lbs. Go here for more info and application.

Recovers is a platform for community-driven disaster recovery. Check out their volunteer and donation needs for Staten Island, Red Hook, The Lower East Side and Astoria.

Food Systems Network NYC is tracking volunteer opportunities here.

The following is my account from my trip to Staten Island two weeks ago.

Roof of a home on Grimsby Street in Staten Island

Last Sunday, I met a man in his late-thirites whose entire home had been destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. Three of his neighbors had drowned, he told me, and others had been rescued by helicopter from their rooftops during the storm. Walking down Grimsby Street, located in the Midland Beach neighborhood of Staten Island, it was easy to spot his roof, which lay next to his house with “NEED FEMA. HOUSE STRUCTURE” inscribed on it. He had been waiting for FEMA to come for two days. He wasn't one of those people who was going to complain, he just wanted them to assess and condemn his place. We tried to call the FEMA representative we had met earlier that day; she didn't answer. We offered him food and asked if we could help him with anything else. He thanked us but declined, saying others were much worse off and needed the food more than he does. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he thanked us profusely for being there and for all that we're doing, for all that everyone is doing.

Fresh Kills, Staten Island neighborhood overwhelmed with donations

Last Sunday, I headed out to Staten Island with my boyfriend to volunteer. After 4 hours of traveling, we showed up to the scene pictured above. We quickly found a member of the neighborhood who was organizing donations. Exasperated, she informed us that they were no longer accepting donations, except for the tarp we had brought. They had become overwhelmed with stuff and had nowhere to store it, a major concern given that the nor'easter was expected to hit in three days, which is why the tarp was needed.

One of the many donation drop-offs on Midland Avenue in Midland Beach

Next, we headed to Midland Beach. The scene was similar there. Impromptu drop off points, overflowing with piles of clothes, cleaning supplies and canned foods, dotted the neighborhood. Cars poured onto Midland Ave, the main drag, into the early evening, with people dropping off trunk loads of donations and asking how they could help. Kids from bordering neighborhoods walked around with shopping carts full of goods that they were hoping to distribute to those in need. It was, perhaps, was of the most incredible sights I've ever seen or experiened. I was overwhelmed with humanity.

Yet, there was way more fresh food than people to serve. We didn't see those kids unload even one item. And there was a dearth of the things that were most needed like headlamps, mops, shovels, gas and 3M masks.

Cleaning out the basement of a home on Midland Ave

We stopped to help a family and other volunteers clean out debris from their basement. After we finished, a cousin of the family came out and thanked us. “My one hope,” he said “is that people don't forget. That people keep coming out and helping.” We asked if we could offer the family any food. They thanked us, but said they had already eaten and that what they really needed were mops and shovels.

This is just a snapshot of my experience. And since last weekend, I've been told that more infrastructure has been put in place to help the affected communities of Staten Island. Occupy Sandy, a volunteer driven organization that grew out of the Occupy Wall Street Movement and aims to fill the gap left by the Red Cross and other more conventional relief programs, have set-up a volunteer hub and distribution center on the Island. They have also set-up similar hubs and distribution centers in Sunset Park, Astoria, Brighton Beach, DUMBO, East Village, Lower East Side, Jersey City, Red Hook and Rockaway.

I share my experience for two reasons. First, I hope my story underscores the importance of figuring out the most strategic ways to support recovery efforts. I encourage everyone to look at the websites listed below and to donate only what is needed. Second, this is going to be a long, slow recovery. There will continue to be many citizens and businesses in need of donations, technical assistance, manpower and hungry, thirsty customers for months to come. I hope you will join me in helping out for the long haul.

Photo Credits: Mike Lee