A Brooklyn School in Need

I was in the supermarket today to pick up some milk and basic supplies. It feels weird to see an entire aisle containing cases of water when in Downtown Manhattan, parts of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island have no running water or power still.  All I could think was, I wish I had a van to buy all this water and drive it down to the hardest hit areas around here.

I took a walk this afternoon to the East River promenade and the FDR South is back to normal. Bumper to bumper traffic. Probably more heavy than usual since many people are driving rather than taking mass transit. There is still limited subways and buses so getting around this metropolis has proven to be tricky.

FDR as the sun sets. Still lots of traffic. It's a wonder people are even driving, it's so hard to even get gas right now. What a difference 2 days make. It's amazing that on Monday night, the FDR was completed flooded and looked like this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNBmOrZjQ9k

A view of the Tri-borough bridge. The storm is long gone but the skies are still very cloudy and overcast. Perhaps tomorrow we will see some sun.

I've been working from home for the last 4 days straight and therefore haven't been able to go volunteer my services. I've been feeling restless and really feel a need to help. Today, I saw a note from my cousin, who is a school teacher in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Their school PS. 329, Surfside School was flooded because of Hurricane Sandy. Their entire first floor was under water, and they will need to find a way to get new school supplies. A lot of us who weren't affected by the storm, like myself, have been wondering what we can do to help. If anyone wants to donate school supplies, let me know, send me an email here, and I'll get the supplies to them. Getting school supplies to children in need is near and dear to my heart. For the last 3 years, I have been participating in a program called Operation Backpack. Through the program, you can buy a year's school supplies for one underprivileged city kid in need. These are photos from the backpack of supplies I donated this year.

It's something I enjoy doing every year to know I can help one school kid. Now, I have a chance to help a whole school. Therefore, I am pleading with you, my fellow readers. If you would like to donate money or supplies to help a public school in Brooklyn get back on it's feet, contact me here. Thanks!