Watching the TV images of the Oklahoma tornado destruction last week brought flashbacks of Hurricane Sandy. Having not heeded the evacuation warning, my family and I know first-hand what it feels like to be completely terrified and helpless. We were displaced and became dependent on family, friends, and strangers for shelter, food, water, basic needs, and transportation. While we tried to salvage what we could of our home; rent cars; find stores close to our community that were not destroyed; find gas stations that were not out of gas; deal with work absences and finding a new school… the most difficult task of all was to try to assure our children that they were safe; that everything would eventually be ok; and that this would never, ever happen again. Now, seven months later, still in the process of rebuilding our home and community… another natural disaster. It happened again… heightened anxiety levels… the nightmares have come back.
As partner of Brooklyn Cupcake, I was able to spear-head our Hurricane Sandy In-Kind Donation Drive benefiting Rockaway, Queens. Many of our fans donated everything from batteries to socks to cleaning supplies to canned soup. With the help of the local FDNY members, trucks delivered the donations to distribution centers in Rockaway. To help Oklahoma, Brooklyn Cupcake has decided to specifically give direct and immediate support to the children.
Because so many people are hesitant in providing cash donations to help Oklahoma, as a result of many “new” non-profit organizations that were started after Hurricane Sandy, I decided to find an accredited non-profit organization that was open to receiving in-kind donations; had the capacity to store and transport them; and volunteers to distribute them immediately. And, I did. Feed The Children is a BBB (Better Business Bureau) Wise Giving Alliance accredited charity that helps families and communities achieve self-sufficiency by using an integrated program to combat hunger and poverty that addresses four basic needs: food and nutrition, water and sanitation, education and health, and livelihood community development. Feed The Children has established nine locations in Oklahoma City to accept in-kind donations and have coordinated with other organizations and authorities at the scene to deliver disaster supplies as requests are received. Feed the Children has taken over the distribution of many of the in-kind donations as it has both the capacity to store the items and to transport them to the greatest areas of need as quickly as possible.
Brooklyn Cupcake has created a Wish List called, “Brooklyn Cupcake for Oklahoma” on www.amazon.com. All items placed on this Wish List are “Eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping”, if your order is $25 or over, and will be shipped directly to the biggest Feed The Children Distribution Center in Oklahoma. Please join Brooklyn Cupcake in helping these children and their families rebuild their lives.
