Staffblog: Lend a helping hand

In the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, a statewide push is on to offer up helping hands or monetary and supply donations. While communication to some towns is still difficult and the full extent of the damage is still not yet tallied, people across the state are in need of housing, food, supplies and help rebuilding.

Two organizations have risen to the forefront of these efforts: Vermont Foodbank and Red Cross of Vermont and New Hampshire. Both are currently working to get help, in the form of supplies and medical attention, to affected communities.

Additionally, a number of grassroots efforts have sprung up to connect those in need with helping hands. The #VTResponse blog is pulling these requests together and also organizing them into a forum. The Help Vermont Facebook group is a more loosely organized source of information on response and recovery efforts, and the Vermont - Irene Crowdmap is mapping both damage reports and response efforts around the state.

The Independent Vermont Clothing Company in Rochester has also announced that it will donate all proceeds from its t-shirt sales to Red Cross recovery efforts in the state, so if that's more your style, click away.

And if you're one of the many in the state affected by the flood, report your damage to the state by dialing 211. The state will be applying for disaster relief funds, but needs an accurate assessment of the damage in order to submit those requests.

Are you finding ways to help? Do you need help? Let us know what you're doing in the wake of Irene below!