Et cetera : NCCC Oak 6 team helping Hurricane Sandy survivors in NYC

Oak 6 members are helping NYC recover from Hurricane Sandy.

The NCCC team of Oak 6 from the Vinton campus is in the heart of New York City, assisting the American Red Cross with giving financial assistance to those who have survived Hurricane Sandy. For their first project, the team is outside of their North Central Region, staying in Manhattan while working in Hell’s Kitchen for three weeks.

The team has been divided up to help various departments of the American Red Cross, but all members are helping survivors find sustainable housing. At this phase of disaster relief, the American Red Cross is focused on getting people into their homes, or into a new home. The American Red Cross tries to assess people’s needs whether it’s help with rent for a new apartment or repairs to a damaged home. Oak 6 is working to help achieve these goals.

Some team members are working directly with client casework, calling clients and gathering details to find out what the client needs, while other members are helping in the accounting department. Oak 6 has already helped clients receive monetary assistance, which means helping dozens of people get back into their homes.

The team works Monday through Saturday, and is also looking for opportunities to volunteer within New York City. For one of those independent projects, team members are spending a day in Jamaica, Queens at a local food shelter helping sort food and distribute it to the needy. Although the hours might be long, Oak 6 is ecstatic to be in New York City and able to provide direct relief to people in need.