Hurricane Sandy Relief: How You Can Help

As residents across Long Island recover from Hurricane Sandy, Patch has gathered some local resources if you want to help in relief efforts.

Donating food and supplies: Island Harvest, 199 Second Street Mineola, (516) 294-8528; Long Island Cares, 10 Davids Drive (Harry Chapin Way) Hauppauge, (631) 582-FOOD. 

Newsday reported that food stations have been set up, in Nassau: Christopher Morely Park, 500 Searingtown Rd, Roslyn; Nickerson Beach Park, 850 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach; and Cedar Creek Park, 3340 Merrick Road, Seaford: and in Suffolk at the H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge; Riverhead City Center, 210 Center Drive, Riverhead; and Mastic Fire House, 1080 Mastic Road, Mastic.

The American Red Cross is collecting funds and coordinating blood donations. The organization sheltered more than 3,000 people across nine states during the worst of the storm. You can donate $10 by phone by texting the word REDCROSS to 90999.

Shortages of blood are also expected to occurr across the region. 

“Patients will still need blood despite the weather,” said Dr. Richard Benjamin, chief medical officer of the Red Cross, in a statement.  

To schedule a blood donation here across Long Island, visit the the New York Blood Center website or call 800-933-2566 to see which location are open and accepting donations.

The American Red Cross also has a "Safe and Well" registry that can help spread the word to loved ones to let them know you are safe. Here are instructions from the Red Cross site:

For those with pets or those who have found lost animals, the Suffolk SPCA may be reached at (631) 382-7722, or the Nassau SPCA at (516) 843-7722.

The Salvation Army: You can donate $10 to the Salvation Army by texting “STORM” to 80888. If you are already volunteer-certified, you can sign up to help out with disaster relief.

AmeriCares: You can donate to AmeriCares’ relief fund to help the organization, which is distributing supplies to 130 clinics in the 13 states affected by Sandy.

To follow news from some of the most affected areas and see how local residents are faring, here are links to Patch sites:

Do you know of any groups in Long Island organizing supplies or donations for Hurricane Sandy victims? Tell us in the comments.