Community Leaders Rally For Return Of Victory Hospital

By on March 14, 2013  Featured story, News
Mar 142013
 
No, that's not a typo - it's merely a reference to Stephen Berger - the head of a state commission that called for Victory Hospital's closure in 2008 (Image source: Michael Fleshman via Flickr.

No, that’s not a typo – It’s merely a reference to Stephen Berger, the head of a state commission that called for Victory Hospital’s closure in 2008. From a rally held last year (Image source: Michael Fleshman via Flickr).

Could the timing finally be right for Victory Memorial to reopen?

Local elected officials and community leaders gathered on March 8, to once again call for the return of ambulance services to the medical center formerly known as Victory Memorial Hospital [699 92nd Street].

Since 2008, after locals waged a two year fight to save the facility from complete closure, the hospital has been limited to an overnight infirmary called SUNY Downstate, notes Will Bredderman for Brooklyn Daily. Read more, including how Stephen Berger screwed Southwest Brooklyn

Occupy Sandy’s Bay Ridge Kitchen To Close March 1, Volunteers Still Needed

By on February 21, 2013  Featured story, News
Feb 212013
 
Image source: Facebook.com.

Image source: Facebook.com.

Although Occupy Sandy’s Bay Ridge Kitchen at St. John’s Episcopal Church [461 99th Street] will be closing March 1, volunteers are still needed – especially in places like Sheepshead Bay and the Rockaways.

Occupy Sandy volunteers have been preparing hearty meals and delivering them to Hurricane Sandy victims around Brooklyn and beyond since November.

Months after Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal areas, the group continues to feed around a thousand people a day. They also maintain locations in Sheepshead Bay, Staten Island, and the Rockaways.

Click here for a list of places where you can make a difference by volunteering.

VIDEO: Reaching-Out Community Services Director Speaks Out For Hurricane Victims

By on January 15, 2013  News
Jan 152013
 

If you’ve recently donated to Reaching-Out Community Services aka the Dyker Heights -Bensonhurst Food Pantry, then the above video should be in your email inbox.

During the five minute segment, various disaster relief groups, private sector volunteers, and community leaders including State Senator Marty Golden and Reaching-Out’s executive director Thomas Neve join Gerritsen Beach Cares to speak out for people whose lives have yet to return to normal well over two months since Superstorm Sandy wrought havoc on coastal communities.

If you’d like to support continued aid for hurricane victims in Gerritsen Beach, please call (347) 585-8630. For more information on Reaching-Out Community Services, please visit rcsprograms.org or call (718) 373-4565.

Bay Ridge Kitchen Now Accepting Donations Through Fresh Direct!

By on December 20, 2012  News
Dec 202012
 
Occupy Sandy Bay Ridge Kitchen

Image source: Facebook.com.

The call went out yesterday on Occupy Sandy’s website that the relief group’s Bay Ridge Kitchen is running low on both food and supplies.

Fortunately for hurricane victims who rely on the 2000+ meals prepared daily at St. Johns Episcopal Church [461 99th Street], donating has never been easier.

As of yesterday, “orders of fresh, organic, natural, and locally produced food items can be made through FreshDirect.com and shipped directly” to St. Johns!

Ship to:

St. John’s Episcopal Church
461 99th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11209

Are you strapped for time and not sure what food items to purchase? No Problem! Donors can also buy a gift card online and simply email it to SandyBayRidge@Interoccupy.net.

If you’d like to inquire about volunteer work or in-person donations, please check out their Faceboook page, as well as interoccupy.net. You can also call (347) 465-7430 or email SandyBayRidge@interoccupy.net.

Seen In Bay Ridge Weekender: Occupy Sandy’s Bay Ridge Kitchen

By on December 14, 2012  Seen In Photos
Dec 142012
 

Image source: Facebook.com.

The above photo shows volunteers hard at work in Occupy Sandy’s Bay Ridge kitchen at St. John’s Episcopal Church [461 99th Street].

If you’d like to inquire about volunteer work or donations, please check out their Faceboook page, as well as interoccupy.net. You can also call (347) 465-7430 or email SandyBayRidge@interoccupy.net.

CB 11 Chair And Ft. Hamilton Advocate Says Sandy Will Save Base From Budget Ax

By on December 12, 2012  Featured story, News
Dec 122012
 

Fort Hamilton’s Community Club (Image source: Wikipedia).

According to one local activist, Fort Hamilton has proven itself to be a vital facility for relief operations in the wake of Superstorm Sandy – leaving no doubt to the Army base’s importance during a future disaster or terrorist attack, as reported by Paula Katinas for Brooklyn Eagle.

Bill Guarinello, chairman of the Fort Hamilton Citizens Action Committee – as well as Bensonhurst’s Community Board 11, was paraphrased by Katinas as saying that the quick action and organization of base commander Colonel Eluyn Gines in the aftermath of Sandy – taken together with the fact that the installation served as a staging and support area for National Guard troops, should save it from the chopping block Continue reading »

Video Shows Just How Much ‘Bay Ridge Cares’

By on December 11, 2012  Featured story, News
Dec 112012
 

In this truly heartwarming story by BKIndependentTV, Bay Ridge Cares cooks nourishing meals for residents of areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.

The video shows how with their volunteer-staffed kitchen at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church [81st Street and Ridge Blvd], Bay Ridge Cares provides hot meals and desserts for the Occupy Sandy supply network – which also includes a larger kitchen at St. John’s Episcopal Church [9818 Fort Hamilton Pkwy].

City Councilman Vincent Gentile’s Communications Director and Bay Ridge Cares co-creator Justin Brannan makes an appearance to discuss how he, local chef Allison Robicelli, Karen Tadross, and Father Michael Ellias collaborated to make the kitchen a reality.

According to Tadross, the Bay Ridge Cares kitchen at St. Mary’s – which began operations in mid November and prepares 800 meals a day six days a week, will be helping victims of Hurricane Sandy until at least December 15.

For more info about donations or volunteer opportunities at Bay Ridge Cares, please check out their Facebook page.

Xaverian Students Coordinate Hurricane Sandy Relief Effort In Rockaways

By on December 7, 2012  News
Dec 072012
 

Image source: Wikipedia Commons.

As an area that was largely spared from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, Southwest Brooklyn continues to play a crucial role in the coordination of volunteers and supplies bound for storm relief and recovery efforts in other neighborhoods.

A news item in the 112-year-old Rockaway community newspaper The Wave highlights some of the work being done by students and faculty at Xaverian High School [7100 Shore Road] for the storm-ravaged peninsula.

From The Wave:

A uniform and everyday goods drive was organized immediately after the storm in order to help students return to their everyday school routines as quickly as possible. Additionally, faculty members have been aiding in the cleanup process in the areas hardest hit by the storm each weekend. Middle school students organized a wonderful drive to create customized care packages containing gift cards and everyday items that families lost during the storm.

The piece mentions how “the Interact Club,” a community service club at the Catholic college prep school sponsored by the Rotary Club of Verrazano, has “organized a bake sale and raffle in order to raise money for the Graybeards” – a basketball league-turned local aid organization in Rockaway.

Xaverian students have also reportedly put together a Toys for Tots donation drive aimed at children affected by Sandy.

In Storm’s Aftermath, Sunset Park Church Serves As Center Of Occupy Sandy’s Relief Efforts In Rockaways

By on November 29, 2012  News
Nov 292012
 

Occupy FEMA? Chepe of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Sandy “training” FEMA workers on Staten Island (Image source: Facebook.com).

More than a year after Occupy Wall Street first made international headlines by taking over Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, the activist group has reinvented itself as an effective disaster relief organization.

In an online article for news magazine the Nation, reporter Ayasha Guerin documents the relief work Occupy Sandy has been undertaking in the storm-ravaged Rockaways. Unbeknownst to many, a Sunset Park church within walking distance of Bay Ridge is serving as a crucial link in the Occupy supply chain. Continue reading »

Hurricane Sandy To Cost NYC $19 Billion, NYS $42 Billion

By on November 27, 2012  Featured story, News
Nov 272012
 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Image source: Wikipedia Commons).

At a press conference yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo placed the monetary value of Hurricane Sandy’s damage to New York State at $32 billion. That figure does not include an additional request of over $9 billion in federal funds for future mitigation and prevention efforts, as reported by Michael Gormley for the Associated Press.

“It’s common sense; it’s intelligent,” Cuomo said. “Why don’t you spend some money now to save money in the future? And that’s what prevention and mitigation is.” Continue reading »

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