With every fresh wave of photos I see from the devastation left in the wake of Sandy, I’m stunned anew by the images. It’s hard to grasp from 3000 miles away how much people have lost, and how long it will take to recover. It’s hard to know how to help in an ocean of need. Denver-based Barb Kiebel, author of the wonderful food blog Creative Culinary, put out a call yesterday on her blog to this amazing community of food bloggers, which I first saw on my friend Suzanne’s blog, another wonderful blog I love to visit.
Barb is initiating an invitation to all food bloggers to post a comfort food on your site on Thursday as a way to virtually reach out and hug families affected by Sandy. Something you would offer a neighbor or friend in need.
We celebrate each other’s wins and support each other through loss and illness. We develop enduring friendships with people we’ve never met in person, and become a world-wide network of caring in times of need. And this is surely one of those times. You’d have to be living in some remote area with no contact with the outside world to remain unaware of the devastation hurricane Sandy released on the east coast a few days ago.
Including, ironically, fires that wiped out somewhere between 80 – 100 homes. It looks like the aftermath of a nuclear war.
But humans are resilient and do what needs to be done. They wait patiently in line,
help the elderly to evacuate,
help each other clean up, as best they can,
throw a grill outside and cook for neighbors and community members,
rescue stranded pets,
and make the best of a horrible situation.
So many people have lost so much, in many cases everything. There are many worthy organizations who know how to mobilize quickly and efficiently to help, such as the ones listed below. I urge you to donate if you are able.
Both the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by disasters like Hurricane Sandy. The Red Cross alone has provided more than 23,000 overnight shelter stays since Saturday to those communities in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast suffering from widespread power outages, wind damage and significant flooding. I’ve also attached a badge at the upper right side of my blog Home Page that links to the American Red Cross for donations. If you would like to have one for your blog, Barb provides it here on her call for action post.
The Humane Society of the United States is focused on search and rescue efforts for pets that people were forced to leave behind in evacuations and to reunite them with their families.
Safe travels to you all.
Recipe to Create a Community of Caring
Ingredients:
- 2 cups emotional support
- 1 cup of listening
- 1/2 cup holding someone’s hand
- 1 tablespoon providing food and shelter, as needed
- 1 tablespoon of running errands for someone who can’t
- 1 teaspoon of assisting with clean up efforts
- 1 teaspoon offering clothes to those in need
- 1/2 teaspoon financial donations to causes that support communities in need
Instructions:
Combine everything in a large pot over low heat. Stir gently.
Serve willingly with a hug.
I will definitely be participating in this my friend, offer comfort to those who need it most
Hugs
Uru
Choc Chip Uru recently posted..HALLOWEEN!
I knew you’d be one of the first to line up to participate, CCU. I’m looking forward to seeing why you cook up!
The Wimpy Vegetarian recently posted..Food Bloggers Support for Sandy – #FBS4Sandy
Beautiful post, and I LOVE the recipe it’s so true. It is so wonderful that people from all over this country and the world really are coming together to help. Thank you so much and most of all thanks to Barb for doing this. It means so much to so many!!
apuginthekitchen recently posted..No Words Necessary
Thanks Suzanne – I’m so happy you (and your little ones) came through the storm fine. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be in NYC right now. But it’s so heartening to see how everyone is pulling together to help.
The Wimpy Vegetarian recently posted..Food Bloggers Support for Sandy – #FBS4Sandy
Thanks so much for helping to get the word out; the response has been heartwarming and we can only hope it will lift some spirits in the process.
Barbara | Creative Culinary recently posted..Food Bloggers Support For Sandy – #FBS4Sandy
The Enabling Cook will be proud to participate.
Ida recently posted..Soup’s On! Butternut Apple Chowder