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Faith

Great Diversity of Faith-Based Organizations Helping With Ongoing Post-Sandy Cleanup

Nov. 20, 2012 3:22pm Christopher Santarelli

Faith Based Organizations Continue to Help With Hurricane Sandy Cleanup

Wreckage in the Rockaways After Sandy (photo:TheBlaze)

Three weeks since making landfall, some communities in the Northeastern United States remain without power and many are still cleaning up damage from Hurricane Sandy. While public attention seemed to quickly turn away from Sandy to the presidential election and now the fiscal cliff, recovery work is far from over.

Faith-based organizations from many different religions are playing key roles in rebuilding the lives and communities that were disrupted, as the following highlights show:

Operation Blessing International, a Virginia-based non-denominational organization that is a member of AERDO; which represents a network of major evangelical Christian relief and development agencies across North America, has brought more than 240,000 pounds of food, water and paper goods for storm victims in Queens, Brooklyn and New Jersey.

Catholic Charities of New York staff handed out non-perishable food and cleaning supplies door to door in neighborhoods hit worst by the storm late last week after a nor’easter dumped an additional half a foot of snow on the region already devastated by Sandy.

Volunteers from several Jewish congregations across the country bused in to Staten Island and Brooklyn among other storm ravaged communities to help out. The Chabad Lubavitch movement is organizing and passing out supplies like space-age blankets for families still without electricity since the storm.

Volunteers from Zakat Foundation of America, a Muslim organization dedicated to international charity, have continued disaster relief efforts on the East Coast two weeks following the storm; pumping water out of homes and installing power generators along with other services.

On Sunday Nov. 11, thousands of members of the Church of Latter-day Saints canceled services to travel by bus, air and train to the tri-state area to assist recovery efforts. TheBlaze came across the video below that shows not only the inspirational work of thousands of LDS volunteers working with Mormon Helping Hands NYC, but also the devastation that still very much remains in New York and New Jersey communities two weeks following the storm.

Islamic Relief USA has announced it will partner with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, to deliver supplies to heavily hit parts of New York and New Jersey.

Mormon Helping Hands :: Hurricane Sandy :: Rockaways, NY from Joshua Brown on Vimeo.

Let us know in the comment section if your church or faith community is still contributing to Sandy relief efforts.

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Comments (25)

siquijorisland
Posted on November 21, 2012 at 7:31am
in the disasters that i have worked i have always seen faith based organizations and the salvation army doing a great job both in the U.S.and internationally.
I am sorry to say i have never seen atheists doing anything anywhere as help.

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FunFunFun
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 7:55pm
I love the Mormons! Catholics! Baptists! and I am not even a Christian.

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- Chi_Chi
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 6:10am
  It’s only the left that divides people by groups. Read fresh political commentary at: http://smallcraftadvisorychronicles.blogspot.com/
  
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912network
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 6:24pm
It’s nice to see that somebody on TheBlaze finally reported on the Mormons’ relief efforts; usually Mormons’ contributions are ignored in the Marxist Media (at least, since Romney began running for President in 2007). That said, please get the name of the Church right; omitting the foundation of our Faith from the name of our Church is actually quite offensive; usually only anti-Mormon bigots do that, but since Glenn Beck owns The Blaze, we’ll assume it wasn’t intentional.

So without further explanation, here’s the problem:

“the Church of Latter-day Saints”

Mormons are in no way affiliated with a church named as such. ‘Mormons’ is a nickname given to members of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints. Omitting the Author of our Faith is like calling Christians ‘istians,’ or calling Christmas ‘x-mas.’

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- P8riot
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 4:38pm
  very true. I can’t stand it when people call us the Church of Latter-day Saints! I hope that the correction is made in this article soon. :)
  
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- P8riot
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:09pm
  the correction still hasn’t been made… sad that accuracy isn’t that important.
  
  I’m sure that the author gets a message with each comment made about their articles… lazy or intentional mistake?
  
  Report this comment
jungle J
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 6:07pm
you know the Muslims are looking for place to plant explosives later.

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What the Heck
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 4:58pm
I personally wish all Faith based groups would pull out and let the people suffer.
Let them have their FEMA and Obama and Biden. Let them see the red tape getting cut as promised. Let them find food as promised and gas and electricity and heating oil.
They bitched the loudest about BUSH but only praised and voted for Obama. So, you get what you vote for. Elections have consequences. Obama won.
Wait till you see the regulations on rebuilding. Ha Ha. Perhaps then you will understand what regulations are chocking America.

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- PainesGhost
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 6:04pm
  The problem with that is that we then become like them. I believe that as the catastrophes mount, as the poverty increases, more and more will look for help. If we help them based on our faith, and do it from LOVE, perhaps some hearts will be turned and some souls saved. Perhaps enough of those that are left after the catastrophes will see that it has always been faith-based charity that has rebuilt lives and communities after disasters. “Winning the hearts of the people” is what we should be doing.
  
  Show the benighted followers of FEMA that there truly is only ONE Living GOD, and He does not occupy the White House. Remind them that whenever, where-ever around the world people have turned away from GOD and toward GOVERNMENT as the solution the their problems, the problems only get worse. Few people who have voted away their freedom have ever gotten it back.
  
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- tothepoint
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 7:58am
  Unfortunately, Obama’s followers will find reasons as to why it is not the fault of his administration. They are blindly following him regardless of all the harm he has done to our country and its allies. He personally watched fellow Americans die in Benghazi and refused to help. Yet, he was still voted in as President. That, America, tells you a lot about the people who voted for him.
  Further, the news media and Hollywood hypocrites will defend and lie about Obama’s poor handling of Hurricane Sandy, Fast and Furious murders & gunrunning, failed Stimulus, Benghazi murders, etc. etc.
  So, Americans got what they wanted. When it is their child who is murdered because Obama and his administration will not send help, perhaps they will see the truth. Maybe not, though.
  Decades from now, Americans will be asking themselves how they were ever so blinded and foolish as to elected Barack Hussein Obama as President. Obama voters will be like those who voted for other evil leaders in the world, in the past. They will again give excuses and blame everyone else for it.
  
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idarusskie
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 4:48pm
goes to show you there is plenty of work to be done…roll up you sleeves.

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MDDAWG
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 4:24pm
Mormons are there after EVERY single disaster helping. They are the best! Thank God for all of our truly religious friends who are helping (Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, etc)

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Locked
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 3:38pm
Though not mentioned here, I saw on facebook that several atheist organizations such as the Foundation Beyond Belief and The New York City Atheists were donating food, money, and blood transfusions as well.

There were also a bunch of posts about an “Occupy Sandy” group that has been participating in the clean-up and in organizing donations for victims of the storm.

I don’t see eye-to-eye with these groups, but it’s refreshing to see folks of all backgrounds, and all belief systems, come together to help those who were hurt by this natural disaster.

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- Just_Us2
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 3:54pm
  Atheism is not a faith based organization, so why would it be mention in a story about faith based organizations?
  
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- Locked
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 4:07pm
  @Just_US2
  
  A fair point. I’m sure that’s why The Blaze didn’t report on them :-)
  
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- rickc34
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 4:23pm
  Atheist have a belief system. But it is sad that it takes something like this to bring people together.
  
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- Zipit
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 5:34pm
  Yeah Locked! That’s the first thing I think of after a natural disaster! Thank God the athiests are on their way to help! Our worries are over!!!! OMG how funny! Nice try!
  
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- Locked
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 6:01pm
  Zipit
  
  “That’s the first thing I think of after a natural disaster! Thank God the athiests are on their way to help!”
  
  That was kind of my point: you don’t usually think of donations, blood drives, and charity when you think of Occupy or atheist groups; but in this case, they also came out to help the victims of the storm. Good for them!
  
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- Dustoff
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 6:26pm
  and blood transfusions as well.
  ****************************
  
  Not quite. You can donate blood at a blood bank. Where it is used is a whole different story.
  
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- Angel_light
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 6:29pm
  I agree rickc34. If we cannot have this respect and care for each other like this on a regular basis then we are lost forever.
  
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- tothepoint
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 7:50am
  Atheism meets the criteria of a religion. There are those who flail and scream it’s not true but it is – Atheism is a religion.
  “Where are they in helping?” some ask. I’m sure there are atheists who are helping as individuals in some way. However, though a small group, atheists put up a big fuss and fear organizing organizing themselves and joining the efforts of groups to help others would expose atheism as a religion.
  Major religions should expose atheism as the religion that it is.
  And, our country should stop allowing the religious atheist zealots to have priority over other religions as they do when they take down Christmas displays because they offend the religious atheists. Our country has been fooled for years by this atheist religion and should wake up.
  To you religious atheists I say, “Embrace your religion.” Stop pretending you are something you’re not. You will feel better about yourselves for coming out as the religion that you are. The truth will set you free.
  
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- Locked
  Posted on November 21, 2012 at 9:02am
  @Tothepoint
  
  “Atheism meets the criteria of a religion.”
  
  Actually it doesn’t. Definition-wise, religion requires a belief in the supernatural, so atheism fails there. Legally, the IRS has a series of criteria to determine if an organization qualifies as a religion:
  
  1. a distinct legal existence,
  2. a recognized creed and form of worship,
  3. a definite and distinct ecclesiastical government,
  4. a formal code of doctrine and discipline
  5. a distinct religious history,
  6. a membership not associated with any other church or denomination,
  7. an organization of ordained ministers,
  8. ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed studies,
  9. a literature of its own,
  10. established places of worship,
  11. regular congregations,
  12. regular religious services,
  13. schools for religious instruction of the young,
  14. school for the preparation of its ministers.
  
  Atheism fails on almost all of these, especially since they have no ordained ministers, religious services, places of worship, or recognized creed. If you try stretching the definition of these parameters, you might well be including organizations like the Boy Scouts, the Masons, heck, even 4H clubs as “religions.”
  
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P8riot
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 3:31pm
There is absolutely, positively, nothing better for this country than for people of all faiths to come together to help one another.

Not only does it help the victims of hurricane sandy, but it also helps those who provide the service.

If more people participated in these types of efforts, maybe then the general public would see that we don’t need government to do everything for us!!! This country needs to return to the days when neighbors and family took care of our own and didn’t depend on the government. That is the only way we will survive once we run out of other people’s money.

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- IWISHIWASINTEXAS
  Posted on November 20, 2012 at 4:41pm
  I’m right there with you :) we should be relying on ourselves before the government in everything! Thank God for these people willing to provide service to others!
  
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Larry E
Posted on November 20, 2012 at 3:28pm
C’mon guys we know it’s all FEMA and Glorious Leader fixin’ things up after Sandy!

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