UNITED SIKHS Rallies Post-Sandy Relief Efforts
New York, NY: As thousands continue to struggle with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey, UNITED SIKHS staff and volunteers rush to provide aid to all who have been affected.
In collaboration with the Gurdwaras (Sikh place of worship) in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, UNITED SIKHS Disaster Response Team is providing over 1100 meals a day to people in evacuation shelters. UNITED SIKHS is in constant communication with local and state disaster relief agencies. The procurement and delivery of specifically requested items is underway to shelters bearing the brunt of evacuees.
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| Delivery of food at York College,NY | Pre packed Hot Meals to be served |
Over 700 hot meals have been delivered to the York College shelter in Queens, NY itself. UNITED SIKHS Director Mankanwal Singh stated, "The joy this act brought on the faces of our fellow Americans was a sight I will never forget. The evacuees were extremely grateful and overjoyed to actually eat fresh hot food and not the MRE packages. This was the first time in 4 days many of them had eaten a hot meal."
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| Volunteers distributing food | |
One of the ladies who visited to get the food for herself and her daughter spoke with UNITED SIKHS volunteers and said "I am very thankful and happy to get an actual meal.It is a pleasant change from the army rations.Thank you so much for the hot meal.Thank you and God Bless you!"
UNITED SIKHS teams across the nation have been mobilized to send additional supplies to the East Coast. A shipment of 500 blankets has been shipped from California to help provide warmth for hundreds of families bracing for a bitter winter.
UNITED SIKHS teams are also collaborating with the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, the Office of Emergency Management, State VOAD’s and other local organizations.
The local shelters have requested UNITED SIKHS to immediately provide:
- Small hand towels
- Socks
- Diapers
- Feminine hygiene products
- Canned food such as soups, noodles etc
The community and local Gurdwaras have come together to assist in the preparation and delivery of hot meals and bottled water. UNITED SIKHS is grateful to the following Gurdwaras for their unflinching assistance:
- Sikh Cultural Society, Richmond Hill, NY
- Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Gurdwara, NY
- Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Glenrock, NJ
- Garden State Sikh Association Gurdwara, Bridgewater, NJ
- Glencove Gurdwara Saheb, Long Island, NY
- Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar, Southington, Connecticut
- Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar, Port Reading, NJ
- American Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee
How you can help:
- Donate cash or the "most needed" items
- Volunteer to help prepare or deliver pre-prepared hot meals
- Volunteer to drive displaced individuals and volunteers
- Donate blood
- Donate what you can, so emergency supplies and material can be purchased locally, saving time and resources.
Be the one who brings warmth to a family braving the bitter cold,
Be the one who brings nourishment to a child who hasn’t had a warm meal in days,
Be the one who brings solace to an elder who has no place else to lean,
Be the substantive change needed to help us overcome this immense disaster!
We appreciate the response we have received from the community, and we thank community members for their continued support of the Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort.
For more recent and updated information on UNITED SIKHS Relief Efforts visit: www.sevainmotion.com
If you would like your organization, community network or Gurdwara to partner with us please write to sikhaid-sandy@unitedsikhs.org or call 1-888-243-1690 | 1-646-688-3520 | 510-999-7726
Issued by:Gurvinder Singh
National Director, UNITED SIKHS AID
sikhaid@unitedsikhs.org | unitedsikhs-usa@unitedsikhs.org
UNITED SIKHS:
Phone: 1-888-243-1690, 1-646-688-3525, 1-469-222-6288
