small business saturday, the saturday after thanksgiving. when consumers are encouraged to support their local small businesses. the day carries more significance, as you might imagine than a couple of years ago. especially for local retailers, struggling to bounce back after suffering from sandy. in new york, from staten island to long island, mom and pop shops are promoting huge sales, many of those store owners donating portions of the profits to local relief efforts. now, that is the flip side we can live with and, anna coyman is here. this is what has been going on, and many hoping small business saturday will give the bottom line a boost, the owner of rumors on long island says 40% of the business comes during the last three months of the year and because consumers in the area are more concerned about buying necessities than holiday gifts she is concerned it will be impossible to make up those sales, but, the owner is thankful all of her vendors are allowing her to delay paymen
so, anna, how are they celebrating thanksgiving in that community? reporter: well, heather, the same way they do every year. this is the 19th year that rock and wrap it up has been here at the first congregational church here in queens, new york, but it looks very different this year. in fact, superstorm sandy even devastated this church. their basement was flooded out x they re running this meal operation with no power, so it s a little chilly for folks as well. their going to be serving about a thousand meals today, normally it s about 600. and the new york giants are underwriting this today. the outreach, they say, is not just about the food, it s also therapeutic for sandy victims to talk to one another and the volunteers. they leave here, they ve had their bellies full, but they ve also been able to share experiences and people are here to listen. reporter: and, health e the church also has a supply station
woman to fund his 2007 election. he denies the allegations. and the national park service says the statue of liberty, ellis island, both will not reopen to visit thers year. those sites have been closed for cleanup and repairs since superstorm sandy hit last month. right now as we prepare to gather around our din kerr tables, there are families in the northeast who don t have that luxury. many of them have lost everything to hurricane sandy; homes, possessions, even loved ones. and it will be a long time before life gets back to normal for them. but in the midst of so much tragedy, there are also glimmers of hope. ainsley: that s president obama in his thanksgiving address pointing to the hardships and the hope for so many individuals. their lives forever changed by the storm sandy as they begin that long road of recovery. anna coyman is live from far rockaway in queens right here in new york. anna, how are those folks
that we re told has been serving between 70 and 100 people a day since election day. heather: anna, are a lot of charity organizations dealing with the same issues? reporter: absolutely. volunteer groups and businesses and religion institutions religious institutions across the region are really coming together. the american red cross has served 6.6 million meals and snacks since superstorm sandy hit. they plan on serving 35,000 today, and in the city of new york more than 26,500 meals will be served at more than 30 food distribution sites. and in new york, the governor, andrew cuomo, stepped up in breezy point yesterday handing out meals for first responders. we ve talked to a lot of parents who say they re really trying to teach their kids the true meaning of the holiday season. even if you don t have a lot, you can help wherever you can. heather: and that is a lesson for all of us.
rebuilding and celebrating today? reporter: well, hey there, ainsley, happy thanksgiving to you and yours. for the 19th year, rock and wrap it up is here at first congregational church, joined by sid mandelbaum. good morning to you. good morning, and thanks so much for coming down this holiday. reporter: you re thinking a thousand this year? we are figuring over a thousand and, sadly, most of it is going to be takeout. even though we re set up with tables, the majority of people are very uncomfortable first-timers to sit with others, so we re going to make it easy for them and give them food to takeout. reporter: thank you so much and good luck to you today. ainsley, a lot of these volunteers actually live here and are really struggling themselves in their very own homes. ainsley: i know they are. i was out there last weekend too. it s just awful. thanks so much, anna. happy thanksgiving to you and to all of them out there. susan rice essentially throwing the intelligence c