Four charitable organizations agree to pay $10 million in superstorm Sandy assistance

NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - Four charitable organizations agreed Thursday to provide approximately $10 million of assistance to communities still struggling to recover from superstorm Sandy, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced.

Under the terms of the agreement, the American Red Cross will provide $6 million in new funding to address urgent housing-related needs from Sandy. The funds come in addition to the $308 million already allocated by the American Red Cross to Sandy recovery efforts.

The Brees Dream Foundation, established by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, will disburse $225,000 in unspent Sandy donations by Oct. 1, 2014, while Kids in Distressed Situations Inc. will disburse more than $288,000 in unspent donations by early 2014.

Additionally, the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church agreed to spend $3.15 million in installments, with $1 million spent by Aug. 31 and $1 million per year in each of the next two years,

"In the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, people throughout New York, across the country and around the world opened their hearts and made more than half a billion dollars in charitable contributions to help those in need," Schneiderman said. "As the one-year anniversary of this devastating storm approaches, New Yorkers have once again demonstrated the strong will and resilience that makes our community great.

"Unfortunately, too many of our neighbors are still struggling to recover, which is why I remain committed to ensuring that my office uses every tool at its disposal to maximize relief for Sandy recovery efforts. I want to recognize and thank the organizations that have worked with us to forge these agreements, and so many other charities, for the extraordinary efforts they have made to serve New Yorkers in the wake of this storm.

"Their work made an enormous difference for countless New Yorkers, and we look forward to ongoing collaboration as that work continues."