Superstorm Sandy Impacts RFC Community

Superstorm Sandy Impacts RFC Community

The RFC has many layers of connections to New York City and the surrounding region, including the Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut areas hit so hard by this week's catastrophic storm. Fully one quarter of our supporters live in those places, and many of them have suffered great losses and are experiencing major disruptions to their lives.  However, others in the area were more fortunate and may have resources they'd like to offer to their neighbors in need.

We've set up this page to be a resource clearinghouse where we will post offers of aid in these immediate areas, as well as requests for support, in hopes that we can match up members of our community to one another.

Could you offer carpooling?  A place to charge a cellphone or laptop?  Use of an internet-connected computer? A meal?  A place to do laundry, or to stay?  Other services?

Do you need some help for yourself or your family?

Write to us at info@rfc.org or give us a call at (413) 529-0063 and we'll post your offer or your request (without personal details) and then privately connect any matches we're able to make.

We can't vouch for people or services with whom we're not personally familiar- it will be up to individuals to decide how they want to interact with one another if offers are made or help is requested.  But we know that our community is made up of many generous and caring people who might be able to be of service to one another in this crisis, with the added bonus of possibly connecting to other like-minded, progressive individuals.

Contact us now if you'd like to get involved.

Read our full press release here.

OFFERS OF HELP

  • 11/2- Charging Station Available: Time's Up! Energy bikes are charging people's laptops and cell phones at two locations: Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space at 155 Avenue C and at ABC NO Rio 156 Rivington Street. Spread the word.
  • 10/31- Borough Park, Bklyn: "I can carpool with people, provide clothes/water/any donations, a place to charge phones or use a laptop, hot meals, store items, etc. Have a car, can help out anywhere."
  • 11/1- Montclair, NJ: "I can offer warm showers, electricity for charging mobile devices, internet access, and a guest room if needs be. I also have a car (which has gas in it) so I can offer rides in this area, or running errands for shut-ins."
  • 11/1- NYC: People from OccupyNH, OccupyMaine, OccupyBoston and other groups want to caravan to city to bring food & water, and help with cleanup. They'd like to know where they can best be put to use. (But also wonder about help with housing.)

REQUESTS FOR HELP

  • 11/2- Citywide List of Donation Drop-Off Locations, and Lists of Specific Needs: https://www.facebook.com/OccupySandyReliefNyc/posts/381638021916405
  • 11/2- Urgent request from organizer in Uptown Manhattan: Uptowners! Please help fill a van with relief supplies, to bring downtown & Brooklyn on Sunday morning. If we fill up sooner than that, we'll make more runs. Call with any questions 917-517-3627. Check here for needed items: http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy.
    **DROP OFF BY SUNDAY 11am**
    206 West 84th -- anytime 24 hrs.
    39 West 105th, Apt 4 -- after 5:30pm today, anytime Sat, Sunday till 11am
  • 11/1- Housing/Volunteer Locations: People from OccupyNH, OccupyMaine and other grassroots, progressive groups would like to come to NYC to bring food & water, and help w/ cleanup. Need suggestions of where they could be most useful, and also of places to stay.

INFO, RESOURCES, VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, ETC.

(with special thanks to our friends at JFREJ, who provided much of the info below)