In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, the Center for Civic Engagement, Department of Community Service, and The Center for Spirituality compiled this list of service opportunities. Although not exhaustive, this list serves as a reliable resource for those invested in supporting those effected by the storm. To summarize today's updates regarding the effects of the storm, there are millions still without power, many who face freezing temperatures overnight. There are numerous fatalities, numbering 48 in the U.S. and 69 in the Caribbean. Conservative damage estimates suggest at least 10 billion in damage http://www.weather.com).
Take Action Now:
American Red Cross:
The Red Cross needs your help. Once Hurricane Sandy passes through our region, we may need to open up and maintain many shelters for those who were forced to evacuate their homes.
If you'd like to volunteer at a Red Cross shelter and are...
- Over the age of 16
- Available for 12 hour shift from Wednesday, Oct 31 to Friday, November 2.
- Be ready to deploy to a shelter location outside of New York City and stay for up to 72 hours.
- Able to lift and carry 30-40 lbs
- Comfortable working with people in stressful situations
If you meet these requirements, please fill out our Spontaneous Volunteer Application. More information is available HERE.
Donate Money:
American Red Cross:
The best way to donate is to make a financial gift. Visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Your gift enables the Red Cross to get prepared and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected. Unfortunately we are not able to accept individual donations or collections of items such as clothing, food or cleaning supplies. The cost to sort, package and distribute these types of donations to disaster victims is usually greater than the cost of purchasing the items locally
Donate Blood (on-campus):
The American Red Cross has indicated the need for blood donors of all
types. The best way to make your donation quick and convenient is to
make an appointment ahead of time. You may do so by going directly to
the Naz website/link below to reserve a time for our upcoming
Blood Drive on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. in the Shults Center Forum. http://www.naz.givesblood.org/
The Corporation for National and Community Service:
The Corporation for National and Community Service provides this resource: Ways to Help in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. This site outlines volunteer opportunities and best practices in response to the storm.
Faith-Based Disaster Relief Organizations:
There are many faith-based disaster relief service organizations across the U.S. that provide an established infrastructure through which every contribution, no matter what the size, can be gathered together to provide a strong web of support.
Take Action now:
United Methodist Committee on Relief:
At this time, First Responders are assessing the needs of those affected by the storm called Sandy. Want a hands-on way to prepare assistance NOW for folks to use when they can get back to their homes? Create a Cleaning Bucket to help a family in the United States. Find instructions and a how-to video here: http://www.umcor.org/UMCOR/Relief-Supplies.
Donate:
Several links to faith-based relief services are listed below. You may also contact your local faith community to find out how they are responding and how you can assist in the relief work.
Catholic Charities agencies provide critical disaster services to people of all beliefs. Your donation is urgently needed to assist people impacted by recent disasters, such as hurricanes, storms, and floods. Your contributions to the 2012 Disaster Fund will save lives, rebuild homes, and restore hope. CLICK HERE to donate.
Children's Disaster Services
Since 1980 Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) has been meeting the needs of children by setting up child care centers in shelters and disaster assistance centers across the nation. Specially trained to respond to traumatized children, volunteers provide a calm, safe and reassuring presence in the midst of the chaos created by tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires any natural or human caused disaster. The Red Cross anticipates the most urgent need for CDS volunteers will be in New Jerse , where they predict shelters will be open for some time. You can make a donation to CDS through paypal or credit card on their website: https://secure2.convio.net/cob/site/Donation2?idb=0&2180.donation=form1&df_id=2180
Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster Fund“We are deploying project managers to East Coast locations before Hurricane Sandy makes landfall,” reports Bezon, CDS associate director. “We've sent out an availability request to all our certified volunteers. When we know the needs, we'll know who we can send.” Contributions to the Church of the Brethren Emergency Disaster Fund will support the church’s response to this disaster, go to www.brethren.org/edf
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Disaster Response
http://missioncommunities.org/disaster/2012/10/25/response-hurricane-sandy/
Islamic Relief USA
IRUSA’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) met with members from the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), VOAD and other relief workers met on Oct. 27 to strategize about the most efficient aid delivery methods in anticipation of the storm. The DART team then mobilized to New Jersey, where the storm was predicted to make landfall, to help with relief efforts. IRUSA’s DART staff and volunteers are still providing shelter management services and helping however else needed at two separate hurricane shelters on the campus of Rutgers University. The team has been able to help more than 600 people. DONATE ONLINE HERE.
The Jewish Federations
The Jewish Federations of North America has opened the JFNA Hurricane Relief Fund to contribute to recovery and rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Donors are urged to contribute to their local Federation or through the online donation form at http://JFeds.org/SandyRelief. Or, text RELIEF to 51818 on a mobile device to pledge a donation.
Lutheran Disaster Responsehttp://www.ldr.org/
Presbyterian Disaster Response
http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/pda/hurricane-sandy/
United Methodist Committee on Relief. UMCOR field staff are at work assessing damage in the Caribbean, where Hurricane Sandy is known to have killed at least 65 people, left widespread power outages and damaged or destroyed agricultural fields and communications systems. Teams are working in the United States in areas hit hard by this storm. Because the United Methodist church pays all administrative costs and works with a large group of volunteers and donations, ALL 100 CENTS of EVERY DOLLAR you contribute goes to provide relief services. You can donate at www.umcor.org. If you donate online, please be sure to select Hurricanes 2012 from the drop down menu. You can also text the word RESPONSE to 80888 to make an immediate $10 donation.
For more information or for assistance with organizing a response please contact Adam Lewandowski at alewand8@naz.edu.
--
Adam Lewandowski
Director, Department of Community Service
alewand8@naz.edu | (585)389-2307
Nazareth College | 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
www.naz.edu | www.naz.edu/community-service
