Occupy sandy

Nearly one-fifth of Rockaways residents are not living in their homes, one-third are without heat.

"We're just nowhere near being close to finishing the task in the Rockaways."

Bloomberg ran into a bunch of Occupy Sandy volunteers in the Rockaways. He praised them for their efforts, but he didn't stick around to talk to them, as you can see in the video below.

From volunteering at a one of the organizations to hosting a family around your own Thanksgiving table, there are lots of ways to help Hurricane Sandy victims feel the holiday spirit.

According to the Rolling Jubilee website, the movement has raised $203,804 and counting for the purpose of buying debt and eliminating it. That money will erase roughly $4 million in debt alone.

A bunch of bands are coming to Brooklyn Heights this Saturday the 17th for a Hurricane Sandy benefit.

The city will open seven "Restoration Centers" to help New Yorkers recover from the ravages of Hurricane Sandy.

"The city hasn't reached out to us at all," said Matt Calender, a Rockaway resident who helps direct a bustling relief effort from a house on Beach 96th Street.

It's not just the Times who are tipping their caps to Occupy Sandy: last night, representatives from The National Guard, the Bloomberg administration, and the NYPD spoke at an organizational meeting last night.

This moving video, filmed on the Rockaways on Election Day, is one of the best we've seen to document the desperate situation out there, where thousands are still without power, heat and homes.

Red Hook was one of the hardest Brooklyn neighborhoods hit by Sandy, and volunteers have been mobilizing relief efforts to help residents there.

Former Gothamist staff writer Jamie Feldmar volunteered in Red Hook on Friday, and offered some advice for everyone who wants to pitch in, as well as a first hand account of helping a neighborhood business.