Right now, in New York, there are twelve thousand people trying to live in homes with compromised electrical systems, furnaces that don't work, and the temperatures are dropping. They could go to emergency shelters, but many people are reporting that its seems like there are more already homeless people at those shelters and that it makes them uncomfortable. Lets face it, folks, most of use would be staying in our gutted homes. It's our home.
As media focus on Staten Island and the other affected areas, such as Seaside New Jersey, wanes we need to keep our eye on their struggles. Giving at the height of a disaster is a no-brainer. While we are inundated with tragic pictures on TV, internet, and all other media outlets it is easy to see the reason to give. Many of us think, "That could be my home," and we endeavor to help. Helping in the immediate aftermath is a great thing. It helps people get relief in the form of water, flashlights, clothes, mops, buckets, food, many of the basics we take for granted daily.
Often times, I think the shrinking coverage equates to recovery in our minds. Sadly, this is not the case. Many people are still scrambling to remove harmful and damaging mold from their homes. More people are just trying to find a place to live. To repair or, in some cases, just save the home to be repaired later. Staten Island and the surrounding areas still need our support.
There has been a rise in cold related ER visits from last year, probably due to the people trying to make it by in their homes that lack heat. On top of that mold can cause a multitude of illnesses and aggravate asthma. Even the people fixing their homes are risking their health because of the inhalation of construction dust. People trying to keep warm with fires in their homes are accidentally starting fires. I can't imagine making it through all that with a repairable home only to damage it further just trying to keep warm.
The amazing community of Staten Island has come together to support each other, but some are being told they have to move their hubs because they are taking up too much of the sidewalk. Read more about that here. I've also seen many articles mentioning how mishandled this has been by FEMA. You would think that agency would have learned something from Katrina. Lets prove that we did.
The charity, Staten Strong, was created out of the clear need for the community to be able to get to the funds to help each other. We think when we donate to the Red Cross or phone-a-thons that the money goes directly and immediately to the people who need it, but it doesn't. There's red tape to go through and then the fact that the money may be allocated for one thing when what it is really needed for is mold killing solutions. Staten Strong is an amazing charity started by people from Staten Island who have actually used that money to buy mold killing solution, which was desperately needed. The money can go to the families who've lost everything to buy clothes, appliances, whatever it is that is needed at the time. I think it is a testament to the resilience of the spirit of the community and the human spirit in general.
As of today, right now, this second, Staten Strong has raised $24,816 for the people in need. I am a proud contributor and advocate of this charity. They have a couple of events coming up. One of is a Gala on December 27, check out some info on the Staten Strong facebook page here or buy tickets here. If you'd like to keep up date on events or just see pictures of the Staten Strong team in action you can follow them on twitter here.
Pleas take a minute out of your day and donate anything you can at www.statenstrong.com. They also have hoodies and t-shirts available. I ordered mine before Thanksgiving so I can show everyone my Staten Strong pride.
For info on how to help people in New Jersey go to www.shorehelpers.com Please continue to keep up the support for Staten Strong and Staten Island.
Angry Girl, Staten Strong
As media focus on Staten Island and the other affected areas, such as Seaside New Jersey, wanes we need to keep our eye on their struggles. Giving at the height of a disaster is a no-brainer. While we are inundated with tragic pictures on TV, internet, and all other media outlets it is easy to see the reason to give. Many of us think, "That could be my home," and we endeavor to help. Helping in the immediate aftermath is a great thing. It helps people get relief in the form of water, flashlights, clothes, mops, buckets, food, many of the basics we take for granted daily.
Often times, I think the shrinking coverage equates to recovery in our minds. Sadly, this is not the case. Many people are still scrambling to remove harmful and damaging mold from their homes. More people are just trying to find a place to live. To repair or, in some cases, just save the home to be repaired later. Staten Island and the surrounding areas still need our support.
There has been a rise in cold related ER visits from last year, probably due to the people trying to make it by in their homes that lack heat. On top of that mold can cause a multitude of illnesses and aggravate asthma. Even the people fixing their homes are risking their health because of the inhalation of construction dust. People trying to keep warm with fires in their homes are accidentally starting fires. I can't imagine making it through all that with a repairable home only to damage it further just trying to keep warm.
The amazing community of Staten Island has come together to support each other, but some are being told they have to move their hubs because they are taking up too much of the sidewalk. Read more about that here. I've also seen many articles mentioning how mishandled this has been by FEMA. You would think that agency would have learned something from Katrina. Lets prove that we did.
The charity, Staten Strong, was created out of the clear need for the community to be able to get to the funds to help each other. We think when we donate to the Red Cross or phone-a-thons that the money goes directly and immediately to the people who need it, but it doesn't. There's red tape to go through and then the fact that the money may be allocated for one thing when what it is really needed for is mold killing solutions. Staten Strong is an amazing charity started by people from Staten Island who have actually used that money to buy mold killing solution, which was desperately needed. The money can go to the families who've lost everything to buy clothes, appliances, whatever it is that is needed at the time. I think it is a testament to the resilience of the spirit of the community and the human spirit in general.
As of today, right now, this second, Staten Strong has raised $24,816 for the people in need. I am a proud contributor and advocate of this charity. They have a couple of events coming up. One of is a Gala on December 27, check out some info on the Staten Strong facebook page here or buy tickets here. If you'd like to keep up date on events or just see pictures of the Staten Strong team in action you can follow them on twitter here.
Pleas take a minute out of your day and donate anything you can at www.statenstrong.com. They also have hoodies and t-shirts available. I ordered mine before Thanksgiving so I can show everyone my Staten Strong pride.
For info on how to help people in New Jersey go to www.shorehelpers.com Please continue to keep up the support for Staten Strong and Staten Island.
Angry Girl, Staten Strong
No comments:
Post a Comment