
Donate Money to the Red Cross
The American Red Cross is the number one disaster relief charity in the US, and it’s far and away the most trusted and most popular charity that you can donate to. In the days since Hurricane Sandy hit, the Red Cross has seen its donations spike, and its disaster response vehicles have been on the ground distributing hot food to hurricane victims. To make an immediate impact, you can donate money to the Red Cross website.

Donate Goods and Money to Occupy Sandy
One of the early leaders in organizing and distributing shipments of much-needed goods to some of the places that were hit hardest by the storm has been Occupy Sandy. The group is taking both cash and in-kind donations, and it has even set up a wedding registry on Amazon.com where you can donate things like cleaning supplies and blankets.

Donate Food
Although sending cash is the easiest way for people from around the country to pitch in and help the Hurricane Sandy relief effort, you can also give food. You can donate nonperishable food and money to City Harvest and Food Bank in New York City. Occupy Sandy and several churches in the NYC and New Jersey areas are also collecting food donations.

Volunteer Your Time
If you live in NYC or New Jersey, one of the best ways you can make a direct impact on Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts is to volunteer your time. There are hundreds of volunteer opportunities available. Mayor Bloomberg is directing people to the website NYC Service, which lists several organizations through which you can volunteer; Occupy Sandy also has a regularly updated list of places where volunteers are needed. The website Volunteer Match is also a great resource to locate volunteer opportunities.

Donate to Architecture for Humanity’s Hurricane Sandy Reconstruction Campaign
Architecture for Humanity, a volunteer non-profit organization that provides design and construction services after disasters, has developed a five-point plan for long-term reconstruction of areas that were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The group plans to provide community planning and architectural support to local agencies as they rebuild to ensure that coastal communities are greener and more resilient, and they are currently taking donations.

Blankets for Sandy
With cold weather setting in and a potentially strong winter storm brewing later this week, new blankets are one of the best things you can donate to Hurricane Sandy victims. The Huffington Post has done a nice job of rounding up some of the different churches and other locations that are accepting blanket donations in New York and New Jersey.