Labor For Your Neighbor

Brantley Gilbert's latest hit "Country Must Be Country Wide" describes how Country folks are raised to help - it's not where you live, you're not raised to take, but raised to give; giving the shirt off your back to help anyone in need.  With that thought in mind, Governor Cuomo has launched a Labor Day weekend effort to tap into the good neighbor instincts of New Yorkers and rally volunteers to pitch in on local clean-ups of public and private property following the devastation of Hurricane Irene.

Calling the effort "Labor For Your Neighbor" the Governor said he and members of his family will join New Yorkers who turn out to help their neighbors, bringing tools, elbow grease and volunteers to the Schoharie Valley, Catskills and North Country, where the storm brought extensive damage. The Governor has visited each of these regions to assess damage since the storm hit. Clean-ups will take place on Sunday and Monday. Volunteers will be shuttled into villages needing assistance, and provided appropriate supervision and equipment.

"In village after village and town after town, we have witnessed the wonderful spirit of New Yorkers turning out to help others in need, " said Governor Cuomo. "Grocers have thrown open their doors and given away all their food. Customers have come out to clean up local businesses and return them to operation. Neighbors have shared food, clothing and shelter. Through ‘Labor for your Neighbor, we want to stimulate even more neighbor-to-neighbor help on this long holiday weekend. We've given it a name, but there is no copyright on the kindness of friends and neighbors. While government at all levels organizes resources for the great leaps toward full recovery, individual New Yorkers can, with just a few hours of work, help their neighbors take small steps toward normalcy. As an elderly woman in Prattsville told us this week, even someone to help get the mud out of her basement would give her the hope for a new start. "

New Yorkers interested in volunteering or contributing can do so on the Governors website http://www.governor.ny.gov/laborforyourneighbor. Volunteers will receive specific directions and instructions for the cleanup sites.