If you would like to "officially" register as a volunteer with the City of New York, you can do so here: nyc.gov/service
In addition, below is a list of volunteer sites and contacts as of 11/2 at 5PM.
Park Slope Armory 8th Avenue between 14th and 15th streets (Kids cannot volunteer and should stay at home)
John Jay High School 7th Avenue between 4th and 5th streets (Kids cannot volunteer and should stay at home)
Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation 402 Van Brunt St 718-965-3100
Red Hook Initiative 767 Hicks Street Brooklyn, NY 11231
Red Hook Recovers (347) 770-152 https://redhook.recovers.org
Resurrection Parish (Gerritsen Beach) 2331 Gerritsen Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11229 (718) 743-7234
Shelter @ FDR High School 5800 20th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11204 (718) 621-8800
The Silver Gull (Breezy Point) 1 Beach 193rd Street, Breezy Point
Far Rockaway St. Francis, 219 Beach 129th Street
Coney Island Staging area @ 2770 West 5th Street Between Neptune and West Avenue
Staten Island - Tottenville High School 100 Luten Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10312 nysassembly60@gmail.com
Rebuild Staten Island https://www.facebook.com/RebuildStatenIsland
1. At the moment, the shelters have many daytime volunteers and assigned personnel. They need people in the evenings and at night. When you go to a location, ask to sign in and leave your number/email so the coordinators can get in touch with you if they need you. You can also spend time checking on elderly or infirm neighbors who may have needs; the shelters do not house everyone with challenges at this time.
2. That being said, individuals with medical training are always needed. If you are an RN or former RN, an EMT, etc., or a social worker, your help is needed.
3. Also, entertainers are always needed. Singers and musicians are most welcome (particularly during the day hours), and anyone who can be creative with activities for children. There may not be a lot of space to work with, but I have faith in my fellow cultural workers. Those who carry portable instruments (e.g. - your own voice, guitars, accordions, light percussion) will have the easiest time of it, but some schools with open auditoriums have a working piano!
(If there is no entertainment taking place in your local shelter and you are an actor or drama teacher, go over and create an original play with folks who are staying there.)
4. If you are volunteering, DO NOT BRING CHILDREN WITH YOU to the shelters - for any reason. It is better for you to stay home than bring children to shelters. There is no child care available for children of volunteers and it is inappropriate, to say the least, for shelter staff and other volunteers to have to deal with additional children.
5. And, meaningful as it may be, please DO NOT ask shelter staff or volunteers to "see" other parts of the facility so that either you or your children can witness New Yorkers at their best and all the nice things that are going on. Bluntly put, it is a real privacy and management challenge.
6. MATERIALS: At this point in time, check with the shelter you are going to about what is needed and what is allowed!
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RESOURCES FROM THE BROOKLYN FOOD COALITION:
Here is a map of all the shelters and evacuation centers
If you'd like to get a sense of what it's like to volunteer and what to bring, these personal accounts will give you an idea.
We are all eager for the NYC Transit System to be completely up and running, meanwhile, please use this Transit Tracker to help you help make sense of what's running and what's not. All bridges except for the Rockaways bridges are open. JFK may open for flights, there is extensive damage at LaGuardia.
