New Yorkers have come together to help each other in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy ? from volunteers reinstalling drywall to lawyers helping victims navigate government bureaucracy.
Volunteers Nancy Pagano (c.) and Christina Wilson (r.) help clean up debris from the home of Vanessa Ventura (back) Saturday in Staten Island, N.Y.
Julio Cortez/AP
EnlargeEast End Helicopters, which normally ferries people to the Hamptons for summer weekends, is dropping bottled water, warm clothing, and food to people stranded on Long Island.
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?We?re doing 8 to 10 flights a day,? says Mike Scialabba, chief pilot of the company.? And who is paying for these mercy flights?
?So far, it?s coming out of my pocket,? says Mr. Scialabba, who also gave his workers his credit card to pay for racks of warm clothing at Wal-Mart. ?I?m just looking for people to help offset the costs.?
The helicopter runs and Scialabba?s generous spirit are just one example of individuals and companies who are reaching into their pockets. Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will probably have the largest share of the financial burden, contributions and volunteers are considered to be an essential element of relief operations.
?Groups that are in the community day in and day out and volunteers from the community are in the best position to identify the needs that are most pressing that might take a while to get heard at the government level,? says Meghan Moloney, director of programs at New York Cares, New York City?s lead agency coordinating volunteer work. ?They know the seniors, and they know the people who are vulnerable.?
During the weekend hundreds of volunteers drove their cars loaded with supplies to devastated communities. On Sunday, some 600 New Yorkers piled onto buses to hand out food and water as part of New York Cares. And corporate America ? from retailer Macy?s to airline JetBlue ? is raising money for relief operations.
The bulk of the money is going to the American Red Cross, which had raised $35 million as of Friday. However, that number will rise sharply: On Friday night alone, an NBC telethon raised another $23 million.
In addition, over the weekend, sports teams kicked in with some major contributions: Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, pledged $1 million; the National Basketball Association and its players? association committed to another $1 million; Madison Square Garden donated $500,000 and said it will host a telethon.
And Dwayne Wade, the Miami Heat star, said he would donate his pay for a game ? about $210,000 ? after he was criticized for tweeting about the awful traffic to get into New York for a game against the Knicks.
Still more money will flow in on Monday: Disney/ABC has designed Monday as a ?Day of Giving? across its network and syndicated programming.
Although millions of Americans are giving money nationally, many local organizations are focusing on finding individuals who want to help.
For example, over the weekend on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the Jewish Community Center (JCC), a beehive of activity, asked West Siders to donate nonperishables such as cleaning supplies and toilet paper to be distributed to victims on Staten Island; in Hoboken, N.J.; the Rockaways (a neighborhood in the Queens borough); and Long Island. More than 200 drivers filled their cars with diapers, wipes, blankets, and warm clothes.
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