Teams Visit Stranded, Homeless

By COLlive reporter

With the northeast being devastated by a hurricane that has impacted millions of Americans, Chabad Shluchim are stepping in the breach to help those in need.

Rabbi Ari Kirschenbaum, Director of Chabad Prospect Heights East in Brooklyn, spent Wednesday evening canvassing and visiting local high schools gymnasiums converted into impromptu shelters, and armories into medical facilities offering relief and humanitarian aid.

Kirschenbaum together with local teens and his son Menny brought fresh salads, warm towels and lots of hugs and love at Clara Barton HS in Crown Heights, YMCA Park Slope Armory, Johns Jay HS and Brooklyn Tech HS in Fort Greene.

They spoke to volunteers, first responders and families some of whom have lost their homes or whose lives have been completely and suddenly disrupted.

In Manhattan, where power outages and flooding affected millions, over 50 volunteers from the iVolunteer organization gathered together in the Lower East Side come to assist the homebound and elderly who are unable to get the much needed food and supplies they needed.

iVolunteer’s heads Rabbi Zvi and Sheva Tauby said they found many who were schlepping water from hydrants to use for their toilets and others waiting on long lines to buy whatever food the nearby store had.

“There was only one store open in sight,” they noted. “We also saw people waiting at payphones to make calls since there is no cell phone service or regular phone service.”

With power out in the entire area, the volunteers made their way through dark buildings, climbing 20 flights of stairs with flashlights and knocking on doors in the 4 buildings they visited Wednesday.

The Taubys estimated that 500 apartments were visited and they thanked their donors Kahan’s Superette in Crown Heights for their assistance.

To volunteer email [email protected] and to support their work, visit ivolunteerny.com/donate.

—-

A number of shluchim in Brooklyn and the larger New York area were hit really hard by the hurricane. Some had their homes and Chabad houses flooded with five feet of water and had much of their belongings destroyed.

These shluchim need help clearing their homes of debris and providing much needed supplies to their communities.

If you would like to volunteer please fill out the form below.
Click here