In the weeks following Hurricane Sandy, Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, headquartered in Astoria, NY, has rallied to support local relief efforts.
The agency is working with New York radio station WPLJ and Modell’s Sporting Goods Stores to collect goods in over 90 store locations and distribute much needed clothing throughout the Greater New York and New Jersey area.
The NY/NJ Goodwill is also working with United Way and other organizations and shelters throughout the Northeast to receive and distribute much-needed items such as temporary mattresses, blankets, and basic survival items including water and blankets. To assist the American Red Cross, blood drives will also be held at the agency’s Astoria and Harrison headquarters.
Support for People Impacted by the Storm
The NY/NJ Goodwill® is providing free clothing and household goods for people impacted by the storm who lost property due to flooding. Storm-impacted individuals who need to replace what they lost may shop throughout Goodwill stores for $50 worth of free clothing and household goods. The value of items provided can go up to $50 for each family member, even if not all family members are present at the store.
Donations for Storm-Impacted Individuals
Additionally, the agency is encouraging individuals to donate clothing and household goods intended for storm-impacted individuals at any of its stores or DonationXpress centers. Donations are processed with the agency’s regular donations and made available in stores for storm-impacted people through the channels detailed above. For large donations coming from the surrounding area, provisions may be made for pickup. For more information and to arrange pickups please email Martha Gotwals.
Goodwill Volunteer Efforts at the Rockaways
In addition to Goodwill’s headquarters- and store-based relief efforts, 12 volunteers joined together on November 11, 2012, to represent Goodwill in the Rockaways. Volunteers worked under the coordination and direction of Team Rubicon, who organized the event, to help two houses hit hard during the storm.
At the first house, volunteers removed debris, the ceiling, and water-soaked walls from the basement, as they had become a hazard to the homeowner’s health. The homeowner had lived in the house, which was built in the 1930s, his whole life. While many family treasures were lost in the basement flooding, he was able to salvage his grandmother’s Persian rug and surfboard — two items of great financial and emotional value to him.
Volunteers then moved on to assist a woman who lost the four-story house she had lived in for 29 years in an electrical fire. Individuals canvassed the debris collect and return family valuables, of which they found few. They noted, however, that the moral support they provided in listening to the woman’s story and trying to help was of great significance to her.
Visit Goodwill Industries International’s resources page for more information on organizations helping the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.