Live Well, Help Sandy Victims

In the days after Hurricane Sandy, after we’d all spent way too much staring slack-jawed at the aftermath photos, another kind of storm surge swept the city: a surge of neighborly giving and volunteerism. Chances are you’ve already donated money or time to helping others recover around the region. It’s also important to get back to New York living, and supporting all the visionaries who make this city what it is.

The following benefits and generous businesses are giving proceeds to various worthy Sandy-related causes. Let us know here if you think we should add others to the list.

November 7
Dumbo was hit hard by the storm, and some of the city’s more important art galleries, performance spaces, and restaurants were utterly devastated. The Powerhouse Arena is closed indefinitely, and so is the well-reviewed new restaurant Governor. Galapagos Art Space was totally flooded. Various Dumbo institutions are banding together to hold a benefit at Galapagos Wednesday night at 6 p.m. (tickets start at $25), with proceeds to help rebuild and clean up the neighborhood.

November 8
If you’ve been waiting for your chance to make the trek across the bridge to see what all the fuss is about at Reynards and the Wythe Hotel, or to finally dine at Marlow & Sons, now is a better time than any. Restaurants from across Williamsburg have joined forces to hold the fundraising evening Dine Out Williamsburg for Sandy Relief. Restaurants (see the full list here) will donate as much as 20 percent of their November 8 sales to the American Red Cross.

November 11
Back in Manhattan, Park Avenue Autumn chef Kevin Lasko is throwing a dinner to raise money for Point Pleasant, New Jersey, his hometown. The four-course menu and wine pairings come for the suggested donation of $150 per person, with every dime going to the beloved beach community. The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., and space is limited. You can get more info here.

Through November 11
This one is easy: For the next week, when you buy a Rally Shake at any Shake Shack for $5.50, the Danny Meyer chain will donate $2 to the American Red Cross. Don’t kid yourself: Get a ShackBurger while you’re there.

November 13
If you had power, New York 1’s Pat Kiernan probably got you through some of the worst hours of the storm and its aftermath. Now let his dry wit carry you through a night of pop-culture trivia at Brooklyn’s Bell House, with all proceeds going toward Sandy recovery efforts. The event starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $15.

_{Photo courtesy of David Shankbone/Flickr}

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