I received this email in my inbox yesterday and I asked Michele if I could post it as I felt it was important for my readers to be aware of the needs left in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy:
I am a faithful reader of yours from northern New Jersey. Today marks our seventh day without power or heat as our area struggles to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. We finally recovered cell service yesterday and so today I am catching up on your blog posts. It is comforting to do something “normal” during these very abnormal times.
I wanted to write with a compliment and a request. First, I had to tell you that your frugal teachings have helped my family immensely this past week. Because of couponing, freezer cooking, etc, we have had plenty to eat. This was crucial as the supermarkets are also without power.
Using our outdoor grill, we have been able to cook or reheat from our freezer and pantry stockpile, and not had to waste precious gasoline or money on faraway restaurants for our meals. We’ve eaten nutritiously and heartily thanks in part to what I have learned from you. I can only guess how much money and stress we have saved because of you.
Secondly, I would like to ask you to use your widespread readership to bring awareness to the devastation suffered in New Jersey and New York. I count myself among the fortunate, because although we have no power, heat, or hot water, our home was not damaged and we have warm clothing to protect us from the cold.
Many have not been so lucky and are displaced to shelters throughout the region. Unfortunately, they will be displaced for many months as they repair or rebuild their homes and lives.
Could you ask your readers to lend their support and prayers? The Red Cross, United Way and many other organizations have been working tirelessly to help our communities.
Any donations of money, supplies, and time will be so appreciated by everyone here. Crystal, on behalf of your NJ and NY followers–we are thankful for you!
Sincerely, Michele (Hopatcong, NJ)
Note from Crystal: If you want to donate, be sure to check out this post with how you can donate to the American Red Cross through Swagbucks. For other ways to donate, check out this post on my Facebook Page.
Just wanted to let you all know, if you are looking for a way to help NJ specifically, they have set up a hotline to centralize and organize all the efforts:
***Want information on how to volunteer, or where to donate food/clothing? Please call 1-800-JERSEY-7 ***
I’m not sure about our neighboring states who were also affected, but I assume if you check their state government websites you can find a similar resource.
Thank you all for your generosity and kindness!
I fled from Hurricane Hugo as a college student in SC back in 1989. Just used my Discover Cashback balance to buy supplies from the Occupy Sandy wedding registry on Amazon. Thanks for giving us ideas on ways to help.
A scrapbook store in our town has a connection to Long Island. They are collecting school supplies to help the area schools — we just drop off what we have at the store and any encouraging notes and they ship it all there. North Carolina cares!
I am not able to donate financially but I have donated my husband. 🙂 He has been gone for a week helping restore power. He is currently on Long Island and we have no idea when he will be home.
Those of you in the areas affected, you have my prayers.
Thank you Julie! You are sacrficing too! It’s truly appreciated.
Thats a beautiful donation!!
4 Hats & Frugal has a list of places you can send donations:
http://www.4hatsandfrugal.com/2012/11/hurricane-sandy-help-heres-some.html
I was glad to see this post. While I live in NYC, I live on a ridge and we didn’t suffer much from the storm. However, my church family and friends are in the Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, Breezy Point, and Rockaway areas of New York City. Our church lost nearly everything and so did several of our families. There is definitely a need here for the basic necessities of life.
I tend to be a stockpiler too – at least in toiletries & groceries. I’m glad because it meant I had lots to share with others who needed it immediately.
I am in Upstate NY and we have been donating clothes, winter coats, and other supplies to send downstate and to Jersey!
The Red Cross is accepting all these items!
Don’t worry Jersey and NYC you’re in our prayers up here!
I couldn’t agree more! Crystal you definetly have impacted how I plan ahead too!
We luckily didn’t loose power during the storm but we had plenty of freezer meals readily available to be cooked up on the barbecue if we needed.
Thank you for sharing how we can donate also Crystal!
You’re so encouraging, Tabitha. Thank you! And I’m grateful you were safe during the storm!
I am in agreement that we need to pray for NY and NJ and PA and Delaware…they, however, are so widely publicized that the devastation in WV, MD and northern VA has been all but overlooked. As a reader from WV, our state suffered from power outages, trees on houses, and nearly 3 feet of snow. PLEASE!!!!!! Don’t forget about our region – we are still in recovery mode and will be for some time!
Thanks so much for posting so we can know to reach out to you all, too. I’m so sorry about the damage and difficulties you’re experiencing in your state. 🙁
Thank you, Crystal, for publishing my letter and helping to spread the word! And thank you to all the readers who have already donated from your stockpile, Swagbucks, wallets or hearts–or veins!–every little bit truly does help and is so very appreciated!
To the others who were affected by the storm, I am praying for and with you that our lives return back to normal soon. We are blessed to have what we do, and together we can bless those who were less fortunate!
Thank you all so much!
Please subscribe me. Love your blog!
What a great thing to do Crystal, reposting this. I was hit too here, but luckily no damage to my condo. However, many in my town, their homes are now gone. I just got my power on at 2am this morning, so I will be returning to normalcy soon, however, lots of people in my town will not feel normalcy for quite some time. Even a little goes a long way. My husband and I made peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches for those in my town that needed something to eat. I also donated a ton of toiletries that I had stockpiled throughout the years (with help from this blog!).
Seeing pictures on the Internet and TV breaks my heart of childhood places I grew up in Jersey, but going in my town to see those that have lost everything just brings it all home..it makes it that much more real. I will try not to take ANYTHING for granted every again.
Every little bit helps…if you can’t afford to donate money, I’m sure everyone has a jacket they never wear, or shoes that don’t fit, baby clothes no longer needed. People in my town, and all over NJ (esp the shore area), NY etc lost EVERYTHING….they left their homes with the clothes on their backs….it’s such a saddening sight to see.
The images are so sad, I couldn’t believe the Seaside Heights Boardwalk 🙁 glad to hear you’re safe, we were spared in Upstate NY but got hit by Irene last year 🙁
All Sandy’s victims are in our prayers!
Where should we donate clothes and other supplies? I would love to give some nice clothes that don’t fit me anymore and some warm clothing for a baby that could be put to a good cause instead of selling them.
Remember if you can not financially give to those in disaster areas, there are those that are needy in your own community. Giving of time to help others is just as important as a financial gift. There are many ways to be of service to others.
Here in Delaware we were very lucky as the eye of the storm originally was anticipated to hit our beaches. I have been couponing since September using this site and was overjoyed to share from my stockpile and donate many items to a group from my area who will be delivering them.
Michele, I’m so happy to hear you and your family are OK (outside of lack of power and heat). I live on the shore in CT, which was also hit in Sandy. We were also very fortunate – everyone is OK, no property damage and miraculously, we even kept power. You see coverage of storms in other parts of the country and other parts of the world, and your heart breaks for them. But it is almost an out of body experience to have it happen to your town or state. I was just seeing on the news last night that FEMA will be at a certain location in my home town until the 11th. FEMA. In my little town of CT. It gave me a pit in my stomach.
Like most people, my budget is quite tight, but I was able to raid my stockpile and give almost all of it away to local places collecting donations. Items as simple as toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant – nothing is too small to donate. Some people literally lost everything.
Thank you to everyone who has donated, volunteered or helped out in any way so far. And if you haven’t yet, I’m sure the need will continue for many weeks and months ahead.
I gave blood on Sunday, which was free for me (plus a profit of one cookie, and getting to show my son how easy it is) and should help someone who needs it. It’s a simple way to help after any disaster, even if you’re broke.
Me too! This was my first time ever giving blood!
Great idea!
Fellow Sandy suffer here from Long Island. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost it all.
If you don’t have anything to donate, you can still help, just think creatively. I was blessed to help the friend of a friend, who flew in from China to run in the New York marathon for the first time (which was not canceled until after she arrived). We found another marathon for her to run in up in Manchester, NH, a ride up and a place to stay. No, she does not “need” to run in it like other need food, clothing, and shelter, but it is still heartbreaking to put all of that effort and expense into training and not be able to participate. (20K of the 47K registered were from out of the country.)
Just an addition, many in Pennsylvania could also use help and prayers. We were lucky as well, but just got power back Sunday after Monday’s storm. It is amazing how much we take for granted like heat and hot meals! More than 70 people were killed in PA, most from falling trees. We had three large trees fall on our shed. Thanking God he kept our family safe.
Just donated all my swag bucks! Thanks Crystal!
You are such a giving person! What an inspiration — THANK YOU!