One Year After Sandy, Honoring Neighbors Near & Far

Today marks the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy’s arrival in New York City. While most of the visible damage in Ditmas Park has been repaired, many of our neighbors in Brooklyn and beyond are still dealing with the devastation left in the superstorm’s wake. If you’re looking for a way to honor those affected by Sandy, we’ve pulled together some of the volunteer opportunities and events taking place around the borough.

CBE Feeds
When: Ongoing, Monday – Friday
Where: Congregation Beth Elohim, 274 Garfield Place on the corner of 8th Avenue
What: CBE Feeds has made and delivered more than 90,000 meals to hungry New Yorkers since Hurricane Sandy. Join them Monday through Friday, 8-11am in the kitchen at Congregation Beth Elohim (274 Garfield Place, 2nd floor) to prep meals, or, if you have a car, drivers are needed at 11:30am daily for delivery to locations such as Gravesend and Red Hook. You can sign up online here. Can’t volunteer? Make a donation to the program here.

Prospect Park Volunteer Corps
When: Ongoing
Where: Prospect Park
What: Prospect Park lost a number of beautiful old trees during Hurricane Sandy. If you’d like to give back, the park is always on the lookout for volunteers to help get the grounds ready for the upcoming winter season. Volunteer days occur weekly, and include occasional special events, such as the Family Volunteer Corps day on November 24. Keep in mind that, if you’re not a registered volunteer, it can take up to five days to process your registration–so plan ahead.

Light Up The Shore
When: Tuesday, October 29, 6:30pm
Where: Various locations
What: Resurrection Brooklyn Relief is bringing New Yorkers all across the city together to light a candle in Sandy affected communities. Candles, lanterns, and flashlights will be lit at 7:45pm, when Sandy made landfall in the city. Please bring your own candle or light source if you can, and hang around afterward to support local businesses in these areas hard-hit by Sandy.

Come Together: Surviving Sandy
When: Thursdays through Sundays from October 20 – December 15, 2013, 12-6pm
Where: Industry City, 220 36th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
What: Come support artists directly affected by Sandy at this new Industry City exhibition, which features work “inspired by and referring to the storm, along with work by artists who were invited to participate in the spirit of solidarity.” Admission is free.

Sandy Relief Work Day
When: Saturday, November 2, 9am to 4pm
Where: Location sent to volunteers the Friday before
What: Resurrection Brooklyn Relief will continue their efforts to help neighbors rebuild after Sandy. Volunteer projects range from demolition and/or mold remediation to rebuild projects. To RSVP for the upcoming November 2 volunteer day, visit the Resurrection Brooklyn website.

In addition to these events, there are unique ways to honor neighbor, teacher, activist, and animal lover Jessie Streich-Kest. Jessie and her friend Jacob Vogelman were killed during Sandy by a falling tree while walking Jessie’s Pit Bull-Shepherd mix, Max.

Donate to the Jessie Streich-Kest Fund to help 12th grade students at the Bushwick School for Social Justice, where Jessie taught Special Education–or volunteer, donate, or adopt from Sean Casey Animal Rescue, who set up a fund to cover Max’s medical bills.

For other ways to give back to the Brooklyn community at large, be sure to check out our list of ongoing volunteer opportunities.

Photo by crissachapell