Sandy Relief: Where to Volunteer, Donate & Eat This Weekend

Occupy Sandy (Photo credit: SpecialKRB)

Many affected by Hurricane Sandy are still struggling to recover from the storm. For the next couple of months, Food+Tech Connect will be posting a bi-monthly 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.

Upcoming

12/15

9am-5pm: Rebuild Staten Island needs hands for continued clean up efforts. Find the address here.

12pm: Occupy Sandy is hosting the Sandy Survivors Day of Action which starts with community rallies in Staten Island and Rockaways. Learn more here.

5pm: Occupy Sandy continues the day of action with a Citywide Convergence at Mayor Bloomberg’s house. Learn more here.

12/16

9am-11pm: Times Square Art Square is bringing together 100 local artists to participate in Pledge A Sketch, a marathon community sketching event that aims to raise $100,000, part of which will funnel to the NYFA Emergency Relief Fund.

12-5PM: FriendsOfRockaway.org is joining efforts with FunBars.com and iAdventure.com to raise money to rebuild Rockaway Park at the Jingle Bell Rockaway Festival on Sunday. Purchase tickets here.

12/18

8:30PM: Yoga & Chia Power Charity Event is an evening of yoga and wellness to benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief. Sign up here.

Ongoing Respond and Rebuild hosts sign ups for cleanup shifts in the Rockaways. Enroll in the program here.

Occupy Sandy Bayridge is seeking assistance for meal preparation, drivers, logistics and communications. Send an e-mail to sandybayridge@interoccupy.net.

Eat

Jimmy’s No. 43 has recovered from the storm and continues to support the community. Jimmy’s is producing dishes with the pig from our Hack//Meat butchering demo, and proceeds will go to Rockaway restaurants that were hit by the storm. Learn more on Jimmy’s events page.

Red Hook Lobster Pound is accepting donations in the form of gift certificates for 15 more days through SmallKnot. Investments start at $28; they are halfway to their goal! More info here.

#dineoutNYC provides updates on where to dine out in New York City as an effort to promote recovery for restaurants that were impacted 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.

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.

Donations

Big Brooklyn Holiday Toy Drive is run by a group of local businesses, organizations, and community members collecting toys for local kids affected by Hurricane Sandy. Drop off a toy at any number of Brooklyn locations until Dec. 16. Learn more here.

Brooklyn Recovery Fund is a joint effort between the Brooklyn Community Foundation, the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to create a pooled fund to provide support to Brooklyn’s nonprofit organizations working with the communities and individuals most affected by Hurricane Sandy. Learn more here.

Family to Family is a program by QueensMama that connects families who can give to families who are in need. Learn more here, or send an e-mail to mama@themamasnetwork.com if you would like to participate.

Brooklyn Based has compiled a comprehensive guide of Sandy Relief Funds with tips on how best to distribute what you have to offer. Read the guide 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.

GrowNYC is hosting a Donate-a-Bag program for the month of December at select Greenmarket locations. Donate a bag of seasonal produce to help feed hungry New Yorkers affected by Sandy. Learn more 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 looking for donations to help prepare for the winter months.

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.

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