American Red Cross Awards $10 Million in Grants to Eight NonProfit Groups for Superstorm Sandy Recovery

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross has awarded grants totaling more than $10 million to eight national nonprofit organizations for recovery programs and services for people affected by Superstorm Sandy.

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Sandy is the largest Red Cross domestic relief effort in five years. In the first six months, the Red Cross served more than 17 million meals and snacks; distributed more than 7 million relief items; mobilized more than 17,000 trained disaster workers and volunteers, and provided more than 74,000 overnight stays in shelters. The Red Cross is providing ongoing help to people through casework, case management, direct financial assistance to families, and grants to other nonprofit organizations.

These Red Cross grants will be used by the recipient organizations for home repairs, direct financial assistance for recovery needs, volunteer programs, interagency coordination and other support for long-term recovery for people and communities impacted by Sandy in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and West Virginia.

The Red Cross Sandy grants have been awarded to:

• The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) - $2.5 million to provide financial or housing assistance to 700 households in New York, Connecticut and Maryland.
• Rebuilding Together - $2.25 million to repair and rebuild homes in New Jersey and New York.
• Lutheran Disaster Response - $1.965 million to repair homes, provide financial assistance to survivors and for volunteer management and children's programs.
• Catholic Charities USA - $1.6 million for medical and financial assistance, home repair and goods to households and to conduct community impact studies and support community long-term recovery plans.
• Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) - $850,000 for rebuilding homes in New York and New Jersey, building materials and staff and volunteer support.
• Mennonite Disaster Services - $800,000 to rebuild homes in New York and in Maryland. 
• World Renew - $258,000 for assessments for long-term recovery committees in several communities to help locate the most vulnerable in need of assistance in New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
• NECHAMA Jewish Response to Disaster - $250,000 to repair and rebuild 100 homes in New York and New Jersey. 

Red Cross grants previously were awarded to Points of Light ($1.16 million) for volunteer coordination and to National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, NVOAD ($500,000) for interagency coordination support.

Other Red Cross Sandy grants to national organizations that were announced earlier include $2 million to Habitat for Humanity International, $1.24 million to Society of St. Vincent de Paul, $1.396 million to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and $500,000 to Operation Hope.

In just nine months after this major storm, the Red Cross already has spent or made commitments to spend $260 million for Sandy emergency relief and recovery programs, about 85 percent of the $307 million donated to the Red Cross for Sandy. The Red Cross expects that the remainder will go to its move-in assistance program, community resiliency programs and grants to other groups helping Sandy survivors. Overall, the Red Cross plans to allocate about a quarter of its Sandy funds for grants to organizations working in the communities to help Sandy survivors.

"Recovery from a storm of this size takes time and help from many different organizations, not just the Red Cross, and we are pleased to support the programs of our partners and to continue to work with them to help people with their recovery," said Jerry DeFrancisco, president of Humanitarian Services at the Red Cross. "We can help people and communities in a more comprehensive way when we pool our resources and services together in a coordinated way. This not only speeds recovery, but helps us engage the entire community in building the resilience we need as we face disasters of this type in the future."

"Red Cross and UMCOR have a history of collaboration in recovery/rebuilding following disasters, and this grant illustrates our ongoing partnership in bringing assistance to the survivors of Superstorm Sandy," said Gregory A. Forrester, Assistant General Secretary, UMCOR US Disaster Response. "Through our network, UMCOR is equipping qualified volunteers to assist families and communities long after Sandy has faded from the headlines. Thanks to this grant from the Red Cross, UMCOR will extend our reach, bringing hope and healing to the most vulnerable survivors of Superstorm Sandy - those who might otherwise fall through the cracks."

"Rebuilding Together is grateful to the Red Cross and proud to join forces on the long-term recovery of communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy," said John L. Fiegel, interim president and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "Low-income homeowners are the most vulnerable in times of disaster and we are honored to partner with the Red Cross to return these families back into safe and healthy homes."

"We are very thankful for this partnership with the American Red Cross. As a result of this grant, not only will our work through our affiliates be expanded and extended, but countless lives will be positively impacted," said the Rev. Michael Stadie, program director for Lutheran Disaster Response U.S., who said the grant will enable Lutheran Disaster Response to extend its partnership with Lutheran social service affiliates, which provides assistance to survivors of a natural disaster with home construction and the purchasing of materials, social service support and case management.

"We are the people on the ground before, during and long-after a disaster strikes, which puts us in a unique position to really understand a community's needs and makes us an invaluable asset to first responders and our partners," said Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA.  "Thanks to the generosity of the Red Cross and other partner organizations, we will continue to provide support to our local agencies still reeling from the effects of Sandy until all those affected have rebuilt."

The Red Cross is committed that money donated for Sandy will be used to help the people affected by Sandy, and is working to spend those donations quickly and wisely. The Red Cross is working every day to help more people affected by this major storm through one-on-meetings with storm survivors and grants to a range of groups. Donations to the Red Cross have helped families start over in a new place to live, enabled residents to clean out mold from their water-logged homes, given emotional support to those who have been put through so much, and provided financial support to people working to put their lives back together.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE American Red Cross