[blazer, pants: j.crew | shirt: old navy | flats: c/o sole society | watch: michael kors | necklace: heather david jewelry | bangle: c/o stella & dot | bag: chloe (similar)]

Phew.  What a week it’s been.

When I heard rumblings about a hurricane headed towards the East Coast, I didn’t give them much credence since Hurricane Irene two summers ago never materialized into the catastrophic storm it was predicted to be.  That seems so foolish now.

Our power was cut on Monday evening, before the storm even hit New York.  Fortunately, we were able to find a hotel in midtown to bring the boys until our power was restored on Friday night.  It was one of the scariest and most uncomfortable times I’ve experienced living in NYC.  Information was slow to trickle in and it was days before we became fully aware of Sandy’s effects.

Despite being displaced for much of the week and coming home to a basement filled with smelly Hudson River water that damaged our boiler and knocked out our heat, we’re the lucky ones.  My parents still don’t have power on Long Island, my aunt’s house was severely damaged, and my brother can’t get fuel for either his car or his truck to get back to work but they too consider themselves lucky.  People died.  People are homeless.  People are cold and hungry.

I know it’s difficult to understand how dire the situation is unless you’re here witnessing or suffering the devastation first hand.  We all want to settle back into our routines and focus on the happy occasions to come but please know that even though the media coverage is lessening, there are so many people whose lives have been forever changed and still need aid.

We’re working with two great charities on the ground here in New York worth highlighting:

Baby Buggy®, who I featured last month for its partnership with Rebecca Minkoff and Bravado Designs, is collecting coats for families in need.  Mail to: Baby Buggy, 306 West 37th Street, 8th Floor, NY, NY 10018.  Include your name and return address for a tax letter.  You can also ship much-needed items like diapers and wipes straight from Diapers.com to Baby Buggy or if in the NYC area, Momtrends is collecting donations at its office in DUMBO.  Contact Nicole for address/more info.

For manufacturers and retailers of apparel and home fashion, Fashion Delivers works with the fashion industry to provide new merchandise to local agencies to distribute as needed.  They’re currently collecting for Sandy victims and anticipate the most needed items to be: shirts, pants, socks, underwear, sweatshirts, blankets, and towels.  Click here for donation info.

One participant linking up with #MondayMingle this week will have a cash donation made on her behalf to both Baby Buggy and Fashion Delivers. UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who linked up for this special Monday Mingle! The donation will be made in honor of Chasing Davies.

Have a good week.

“Monday Mingle” is a weekly fashion/personal style link-up rotated between Momtrends, BonBon Rose Girls, and Glamamom. I'm also linking up with What I Wore Wednesday hosted by The Pleated Poppy.

{I was not compensated for this post, although it contains affiliate links.}