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Relief Organizers Urge Good Samaritans to Focus on Cleanup Help

By Aidan Gardiner on November 5, 2012 12:27pm

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NEW YORK CITY — Relief and recovery organizers Monday encouraged good Samaritans who had delivered food and clothing to the areas most devastated by Hurricane Sandy to instead focus the on the vast clean-up effort.

Organizers of relief efforts on Staten Island and the Rockaways said that the need for clothing has already been met. Now, residents in those areas need cleaning supplies, work gear, and supplies like blankets to protect themselves against the looming cold.

“In terms of clothing, most of the shelters are pretty well taken care of. Some of them have been turning away clothes,” said Joe Rubin, who helped organize a massive cleanup effort in Staten Island on Sunday. “Right now, it’s a matter of cleaning supplies. That’s the big thing. And it’s a matter of getting manpower to the houses that need it.”

Organizers also requested that volunteers visit what has become a kind of staging area for relief efforts at the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, 520 Clinton St., in Brooklyn, where they can then be directed to where the most help is needed.

STATEN ISLAND

► Volunteers have been requested to sort through donations at Christian Pentecostal Church at 900 Richmond Rd., near Ralph Pl. “Donations are coming in from all over, we've been getting truckloads from as far away as Brewster, NY!,” organizers wrote. “[We] need help with sorting through donations, and distributing to those in need. Please come in person to the church to volunteer.”

► Volunteers have been requested for the Staten Island Mola Club, 192 Ebbitts St., near Roma Ave., to distribute supplies and clean up the area.

► Clean-up crews were requested to the area around 599 Father Capodanno Blvd., near the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk.

► Clean-up crews have been requested to Grace Bible Church at 466 Mill Rd., near Promenade Ave.

► Additional volunteers have been requested for clean up efforts already underway along Oakwood Beach. “I will personally be in Great Kills Monday trying to get help to move boats from people's property and supplies and hot meals to families in need,” Nicole Malliotakis wrote on Facebook. “Plenty of work to do so please try to bring supplies like shovels, rakes, garbage bags, gloves and just do your thing.”

► Organizers also requested donations of cleaning supplies, work gear, basic first-aid items, pet food, strong garbage bags, baby supplies, and pens for labeling things.

► Those interested should visit Staten Island Recovers and the Staten Island page of InterOccupy, an Occupy Wall Street affiliate helping with relief efforts.

ROCKAWAYS

► Clean-up crews have been requested to clean out a gym at St. Gertrude’s Parish at 336 Beach 38^th Street, near Beach Channel Drive.

► Volunteers have been requested to help distribute donation at the American Legion at 209 Cross By Blvd.

► Generators, gasoline, and blankets were requested for St. John’s Baptist Church at 74-05 Rockaway Beach Blvd, near Beach 74^th St.

► Volunteers have been requested to a firehouse at 58-03 Rockaway Beach Blvd., for food preparation, food distribution, and general clean up efforts in the area.

► Organizers also requested donations of cold weather gear, power cords, lights, batteries, toiletries, food, brooms and other cleaning supplies.

► Those interested should visit InterOccupy’s Rockaways page for more information about volunteering opportunities.

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