Many families displaced by superstorm Sandy have taken refuge in shelters along the East Coast and may remain there for weeks to come. Save the Children has deployed emergency relief teams to New Jersey and New York, setting up safe play areas in shelters where hundreds of children can be kids again.
“Through our preparedness, response and recovery programs, we continue to put the unmet needs of children and their caregivers most in need first,” Carolyn Miles, Save the Children’s president and CEO said Saturday.
In the midst of disaster, the organization hopes to establish a sense of normalcy, providing kid-friendly activities like arts and crafts and jump ropes, and play areas for the young ones who can not return to their homes
"The safe play areas allow children to play, socialize, and begin to recover from emotional distress during emergencies," a Save the Children representative said.
Save the Children is working with FEMA, the Red Cross, the city of New York and other partners, to implement the child-friendly spaces in New York and New Jersey, including the mega shelters in Nassau Community College in Garden City, N.Y., and at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, N.J.
Save the Children is also looking for donations to help provide basic needs such as nutritious food items, baby blankets, clothing and hygiene supplies
To support Save the Children’s response to immediate and ongoing needs following the storm, donate to the Hurricane Sandy Children in Emergencies Fund by visiting: www.savethechildren.org/sandy. Or text HURRICANE to 20222 to donate $10 from your mobile phone. When you receive a text message, reply YES.
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