“The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.”
Frederick Buechner

Join Britt Michaelian and me (Jessica Northey) along with some of our East Coast pals for a LIVE video chat/hangout to talk about how you can help with relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

RSVP on here.

I was in Nashville all week covering the CMA Awards and a bit out of pocket. I talked to Britt Sunday and we both shared some tears and then, because Britt is always in solution mode, she went straight to, “what can we do to help?”   We decided to pool our resources as well as put our brands, and brains together.   Britt, the kindest person on this planet has an amazing list of very actionable things people can do to help, and has been contacting other brands and talking to our friends who are affected by Hurricane Sandy to see what we can do to immediately help.  When we start LIVE STREAMING I will post here, as well as at CMchatLIVE.com and on Britt’s blog.

The goal is to remind everyone what our friends are going through and inspire others to do something to help. As I said, I was in Nashville all week working, and while speaking with others I realized that while people know something really bad happened, because of all election coverage, and even entertainment options, there are SO MANY PEOPLE who have no idea of the intense devastation that spans all the way from Haiti to New York.

One of my friends on Google Plus, New York Photographer Jason Joseph has been keeping really great information of how you can help.  I think also one of the biggest things is that we DONT stop talking about it, reshare info and support businesses who are supporting recovery efforts.

Hugs to Britt for doing what she does best: giving back, and reminding me that I am blessed to be her friend.

If you aren’t able to personally provide shelter and supplies to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, it doesn’t mean you can’t help at all. There are many organizations along the East Coast that are providing shelter, food and other supplies to victims of Hurricane Sandy. Here is a list from 10 Ways You Can Help #HurricaneSandy Recovery:

1. AMERICAN RED CROSS -
THE RED CROSS IS PROVIDING SHELTER, CLOTHES, SUPPLIES, FOOD AND BLOOD, AS NEEDED, FOR THE VICTIMS OF SANDY.  TEXT THE WORD “REDCROSS” TO 90999 TO DONATE $10 TO AMERICAN RED CROSS DISASTER RELIEF.  PHONE: 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767); FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS, 800-257-7575; FOR TDD, 800-220-4095. HTTP://WWW.REDCROSS.ORG/

2. NEW YORK CARES -
THIS LOCAL NYC PROGRAM IS “THE CITY’S LARGEST VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION, RUNNING VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS FOR 1,300 NONPROFITS, CITY AGENCIES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS.” IT IS RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH SANDY RELIEF EFFORTS, AND IS ALSO RAISING MONEY.HTTP://NEWYORKCARES.ORG/DONATE_NOW/

3. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY -
HABITAT, AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION, HELPS THOSE IN NEED REBUILD THEIR HOMES AFTER DISASTERS SUCH AS HURRICANE SANDY. TO MAKE A DONATION CALL 1-800-HABITAT (422-4828). PRESS “0″ WHEN PROMPTED AND REPRESENTATIVES WILL TAKE YOUR DONATION INFORMATION OVER THE PHONE. HTTP://WWW.HABITAT.ORG/

4. COMMUNITY FOODBANK OF NEW JERSEY -
THIS GROUP COORDINATES EFFORTS WITH THE STATE’S OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AS WELL AS WITH STATE AND LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED, CALL THEM AT (908) 355-FOOD (3663), EXT. 243. HTTP://WWW.NJFOODBANK.ORG/

5. HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES -
MANY PET OWNERS WERE ABLE TO TAKE THEIR PETS WITH THEM, BUT FOR THOSE WHO WERE NOT, THE HUMANE SOCIETY’S ANIMAL RESCUE TEAM IS ASSEMBLING STAFF AND EQUIPMENT TO HELP RESCUE PETS IN THE MID-ATLANTIC AND NORTHEAST. DONATION LINK -HTTPS://SECURE.HUMANESOCIETY.ORG/SITE/DONATION2?DF_ID=11020&11020.DONATION=FORM1&S_SRC=WEBDN_SANDY_WS102912

6. BREEZY POINT FUND RAISER -
ONE OF THE MOST BADLY DAMAGED COMMUNITIES IN SANDY’S WAKE IS BREEZY POINT, QUEENS. CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY STUDENT MATTHEW PETRONIS CREATED A FUNDRAISING PAGE TO HELP HIS COMMUNITY REBUILD.  HTTPS://WWW.WEPAY.COM/DONATIONS/HURRICANE-SANDY-RAISING-MONEY-FOR-BREEZY-POINT

7. CITY MEALS -
IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE SANDY, CITYMEALS-ON-WHEELS HAS BEEN TAKING EMERGENCY MEASURES TO ENSURE NEW YORK’S HOMEBOUND ELDERLY HAVE ACCESS TO FOOD. VOLUNTEER AND DONATE HERE: HTTP://WWW.CITYMEALS.ORG/

8. NY TECH MEETUP -
NY TECH MEETUP IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SCHOOLS, NON-PROFITS, AND SMALL BUSINESSES TO GET THEIR INFORMATION SYSTEMS BACK ONLINE.
HTTP://NYTM.ORG/BLOG/ENTRY/12-01-2012/UPDATE-ON-NY-TECH-OPPORTUNITIES-TO-HELP

9. THE NEW YORK FOUNDLING -
A NETWORK OF COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES THROUGHOUT THE GREATER NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA WHICH PROVIDES HAVENS FOR CHILDREN WHOSE SAFETY IS AT RISK WHILE ALSO OFFERING SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES. THEY CURRENTLY SERVE OVER 11,000 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN ALL BOROUGHS INCLUDING SOME OF THE HARDEST HIT AREAS.HTTP://FOUNDLINGSANDYRELIEF.MYDAGSITE.COM/

10. FOOD BANK FOR NEW YORK CITY -
A NETWORK OF OVER 1000 PANTRIES AND KITCHENS IN THE CITY, NEEDS VOLUNTEERS AND MONEY DONATIONS. GO TO WWW.FOODBANKNYC.ORG