Central New Yorkers are showing an outpouring of support for residents devastated by this week’s powerful storms in Rome. It means everything to neighbors like Sarah Macri, who also happens to work for the United Way of the Mohawk Valley on its storm aid efforts.
“I mean, really, when you look around, there's just so much gone. There's so many people in need and it's just it's really tough to see.”
Macri also says she’s grateful for the thousands of people who want to volunteer time and send water or blankets to comfort the victims caught in the storm’s path. But she explains there are only two things people need at this very moment in such a crisis: Cash and gift cards.
“Just because we are not 100% sure what that exact need is going to be. So we don't want to get an abundance of something and make it more, you know, confusing of where do we put this, where can we handle this? So, they're just asking right now for cash and gift cards to be able to distribute those.”
Macri says there is nowhere to store items and nor places for people to stay if they do come out to the disaster sites. Instead, she urges donors to visit their website.