Be a hero this weekend and help the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

 I’m no comic book connoisseur, but I can appreciate the art form.  Last weekend, I looked at the corner of 13th and Broadway and realized Forbidden Planet had been replaced by a mall-type Journeys store, and I pictured a world with no comic books and I was crestfallen.  (It didn’t close, it just moved, thankfully.) The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund exists to make sure that never happens.

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NYLAG Mobile Legal Help Center. via NBC

Sandy has left her victims with many questions as people try to put their lives back together: Do I qualify for FEMA assistance if I’m a renter? What about my car that was filled with sea water and pushed into a mangled trash heap? What can I do if my apartment is now unlivable because of flooding, wind, or falling tree damage?

New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and The Legal Aid Society have dispatched mobile units to help victims of the storm deal with a wide range of legal problems, including completing and submitting aid applications, applying for food stamps, and dealing with housing issues. My NY Legal Help has an extensive list of resources to help you find the answers. Here are some quick FAQs, and how you can help if you’re a lawyer. (more…)

Foster me!! Photo via Hurricane Sandy Lost & Found.

Two weeks have passed since Sandy slammed her path of destruction into our coast. With the distance of time and the reminder that high-profile figures are ridiculous people, the media attention is shifting away from the continuing urgency of need for many people in the hardest hit areas. The dedicated grassroots team at Occupy Sandy is working harder than any other relief organization to keep the people helping people momentum going. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for their email list for daily updates about volunteer needs. Here’s two ways animal lovers and chefs can help ongoing Sandy relief efforts.

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Volunteers in Coney Island, which still needs major help. Photo by Timothy Krause/Flickr

Who would have thought that Doctors Without Borders’ first-ever operation on U.S. soil would be right here in New York City—in Far Rockaway? Nearly two weeks after Sandy, our neighbors still need help. Here’s what you can do this weekend and beyond: (more…)

Old folks rock.

Nov. 16, 2012 Things are winding down at the Armory and many of the residents have been moved out. But there’s still a need to help out the people that remain, so especially if you can speak Russian, Spanish or Mandarin, sign up for Saturday/Sunday shifts or Monday/Tuesday shifts. The shifts last four hours and are all between 6am and 8pm.
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Help them clean and they’ll help you scream

Coney Island’s clean-up effort in the wake of Hurricane Sandy has been intense, but there’s still more to do.  This weekend, staff from Luna Park, the Scream Zone and the Cyclone will lead a massive cleanup of debris and sand from the boardwalk and streets, and are looking for people to help. (more…)

We need you drivers, ASAP. via Yeshiva University

Do you have a car and want to help out? Are you heading to areas like Sheepshead Bay or Coney Island this weekend for hurricane relief efforts? Volunteers need you! If you’re willing to pile in the Bloomberg-mandated three passengers (or four) and bring a few extra helping hands, post your e-mail address and what neighborhood you’re coming from in the comments. With any luck, you’ll get some volunteers that want to hitch a ride to sites with limited and nonexistent subway access. If you know of any organized ride shares, please post those as well. (To prevent spam harvesters from running wild on the page and on you, post your emails as like this, for example: johnqpublic at gmail dot com)

Although it’s easy to focus on Brooklyn and the problems we’re facing in the aftermath of Sandy, other terrible injustices and tragedies are still happening all around the world. And while you should absolutely volunteer to help those affected by the hurricane this weekend, there are other good causes that need our attention too. This Saturday, a group of 4th grade girls from PS 107 have organized a Read-a-Thon to raise money in support of Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year old girl who was targeted for assassination by the Taliban for her activism in advocating rights of girls in Pakistan to go to school. (more…)

Leslie & Ron would want you to help clean up the parks. Well, Leslie at least.

Parks remain officially closed by the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation (every time I type that I have a sudden flash of Ron Swanson’s ‘stache across my vision). But Prospect Park Alliance has done preliminary damage assessments and we now have updated info about how to get involved in post-Sandy cleanup of Brooklyn’s parks. Sign up here to volunteer for cleanup at Prospect Park this Friday, Saturday & Sunday for 10am-1pm shifts. McCarren Park also needs volunteers for Saturday only 10am-1pm. And don’t forget there’s a Walk-a-Thon fundraiser on Saturday and donations are always accepted.  You can also help restore Brooklyn’s only forest by planting a commemorative tree.

Be a banana passer outer and other volunteer gigs at the Marathon. Photo by Katie Killary.

Controversy is swirling around the city over the Mayor’s decision to proceed with the ING NYC Marathon as planned on Sunday. Critics argue that the thousands of volunteers, medical personnel and police officers that help along the route should be focusing attention on Hurricane Sandy cleanup and relief instead. Valid point, but, as Bloomberg pointed out, the Marathon is a major tourist dollar injection into the local economy, which small businesses could certainly use right now. So if you are a huge athletic supporter and want to help out, here’s how.

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