.
Feedback

Local Efforts to Help Sandy Victims: How You Can Help

Here's a roundup of local and regional efforts to help those in need after last week's superstorm.

In addition to efforts organized regionally by such organizations as The Volunteer Center in Westchester—through which you can donate clothing, food and time to help storm victims—there are several individuals and local businesses who are coordinating their own drives to benefit those in need.

Here's a short list of efforts we know about, don't hesitate to add your own in the comments below.  

Katonah, Thursday only: Noka & Noka Joe's is items for Sandy victims on Staten Island, such as batteries, work gloves, shovels, cleaning supplies, flashlights, batteries, thick black trash bags, paper towels, sponges, soaps, basic toiletries, baby/child cough medicine, first aid kits, diapers, wipes, formula, toilet paper, non-perishable food like bottle fruit juice, granola bars, peanut butter, jelly, bread, warm clothing. The store will be accepting donations until it closes at 5:30 p.m.

Cross River: Local resident Ali Giglio, Rockaway native with friends and family in that storm devastated region, is organizing a run of supplies to the area in the next few days, and plans to continue long-term efforts through the Appalachia Service Project. Contact her at gigs52@aol.com for her address and drop off times. Here's what she said is needed: Winter outerwear for men, women and children; gift cards in any denomination (preferably in $20 or $25, ranges for even distribution) to Lowe's, Sears or Home Depot; large garbage bags; batteries, flashlights, dust masks, work gloves, battery powered and hand tools, bleach, brooms, mops, rubber gloves and buckets, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, diapers and formula, powdered milk, juices and non perishable food, blankets, sleeping bags, first Aid Kits, personal hygiene items, Children's and adults cough medicine, Tylenol and Advil, children's books and games.

Katonah, Thursday evening: Ebba is donating 20 percent of the proceeds of its one-year anniversary party to be held tonight from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., to the Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC, which is coordinating hurricane relief efforts. Laurie Berg Designs will be there beginning at 1 p.m. and will donate 10 percent of her sales to Young Families of Island Park and From 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. In addition to shopping in Ebba and it's toy pop-up-shop, you can meet local author Eve Marx who is hosting a book signing of her latest release, Beddington Place.

Mt. Kisco, Sunday at Jodi's Gym: Somersaults for Sandy will be this Sunday, Nov. 11: A a gymnastics FUNdraiser to help provide disaster relief to families affected by Hurricane Sandy. 100% of proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross. The minimum donation is $25 per child. Click here for details.

 

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Bedford-Katonah Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Jules Demarista November 8, 2012 at 05:59 pm
Instead of paying tree companies to cut up wood, Bedford residents can hire a wood mizer portable sawmill to mill up custom dimensions to create and donate a lumber yard of wood that can go towards repairing HOMES around the region over the next year, or in time for a storm a few years from now. Bedford has all of these large estates, where they insensitively and selfishly hire landscapers to run leaf blowers after a hurricane. -a more generous way of spending extra money is to milll up your downed trees and donate the wood! Who really cares about an estate lawn when less fortunate people are suffering in the cold!?
Lisa Buchman (Editor) November 8, 2012 at 08:03 pm
Katonah resident Maria Kronfeld met Marie Vincent on Wednesday. Vincent is a community organizer who lives in Far Rockaway, who is coordinating supply deliveries to people in her neighborhood. If you'd like to get in touch with Vincent to find out how more, call (347) 735-7434. You can also donate to the Red Cross, which is focusing their Sandy relief efforts in NY and NJ. http://www.redcross.org/templates/render/render.jsp?pageId=11400031&scode=RSG00000E017&subcode=paiddonationsbrand&gclid=CN6mueiUwLMCFcqY4AodlgQAfA
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:14 am
I loved all the music - the band belting out 'Sweet Caroline' was great!
Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:12 am
Heather, thanks! I saw you in the crowd! These are awesome. It was a perfect night for it! I'll addRead More a link to your post from mine.
Josephine Ziegler presented the school board with the petition at the May 9 meeting.
John Craig June 3, 2013 at 11:50 am
Regarding paragraph 5 -- the retirement incentive. I haven't read anything to suggest that theRead More retirement incentive and the insurance switch are related or that that KLDTA asked for one to get the other. When I read the initial release from the board, I saw them as 2 different cost savings initiatives. ---The district indicated that each retirement saves a net of $32,500 per year. Early Retirement Incentive Plans (ERIPs) are fairly common stuff among downsizing private organizations. I think it makes sense to use them here to accelerate cost savings. ---The original petition was well written. Now that we have addressed point #3, I think it's time to make further progress on point #2 -- a financially sustainable contract. ---And, experience suggests that if you really want to move forward in a collaborative way, you have to let go of the past. Continuing to harp on past mistakes undermines point #5.
Sara Weale June 3, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for your comment. I agree that we all need to move forward -- but in my opinion, althoughRead More this side agreement made a long-overdue change in health care carriers (while maintaining a high level of health care benefits/access to teachers, retirees and their dependents), the KLDTA again asked for retirement incentives in return - just as they did for the December 2010 MOA that extended the terms of their contract for two years and avoided going to Triborough. Under the 2010 MOA, KLDTA requested a $10,000 retirement incentive and 21 teachers took the offer (including the current leader of KLDTA) -- resulting in an outlay of $210,000 by the district. Although some savings might have been realized for "early" retirements, it is difficult to calculate the exact amount because the district has no way of knowing when a teacher would have retired without the incentive. If 20 additional teachers take the new retirement incentive which was increased to $17,500 for some reason -- that is a total cost to the district of $350,000. Don't forget that regardless of the incentive, teachers retire with full pension and retiree health care benefits. Yes - the district will realize some savings from the incentives -- but we likely would have realized similar savings without incentives and natural attrition/retirement of our teaching staff. What I think we need to pay attention to as a community is that it seems the only way that KLDTA leadership will agree to changes in the status quo is if they get something in return. The last two agreements with the KLDTA will likely result in approximately $500,000 spent by the district in retirement incentives over a five year period -- money in my opinion, better kept in the district system during these difficult economic times and in the tax-cap environment. In my opinion, finally switching health care carriers did not merit financial rewards for teachers likely retiring in the next three years anyway.
Katonah19 June 6, 2013 at 08:08 am
For more insight, take a look at BOE Member Charles Day's statement on retirement incentives inRead More exchange for KLSDTA's agreement to changes in Health Care here: http://bedford.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/days-statement-on-kl-union-contract-changes