LifeEdited: Hurricane Sandy Edition
Somehow doing a post on transforming design or architecture seems a bit beside the point in light of hurricane Sandy, whose impact has been staring us in the face for the last few days. Heck, the LifeEdited apartment was right in the storm’s path and is currently without power!
A few weeks ago, we talked about how to get happy spending money–on other people. We thought it a good opportunity to remind our readers that there are plenty of chances to be happy with the recent devastation on the east coast.
Millions of people have been affected by the hurricane, many of whom are in grave need of your support. If you don’t have a specific charitable organization in mind, consider checking out organizations like Charity Navigator and Charity Watch that evaluate charities to see how much of their money goes into relief efforts. The latter site listed the below organizations as highly rated charities serving hurricane victims; their respective ratings are in parentheses:
- American Red Cross (A)
- Catholic Relief Services (A+)
- Direct Relief International & Foundation (A-)
- Food Bank for New York City (A)
There are also numerous hands-on volunteer opportunities. Check out NY Observer’s list if you’re in the NYC area. Otherwise, Google your area and find who is accepting volunteers.
Lastly, if you want to dovetail your giving with life editing, many charities, particularly shelters, are asking for clothes and other goods. It’s a perfect time to unload your unused stuff to those in need. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone about your mixed motivation.
image by Spencer Platt / Getty Images