Charities to spend $10 million more of funds raised for Sandy victims

ALBANY, N.Y., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The American Red Cross and three other charities say they have agreed to release $10 million in unspent donations to victims of Hurricane Sandy.

The agreement with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman came after disclosures in July that less than half of the $575 million in donations collected by 90 charities to aid victims had been disbursed within six months of the massive superstorm, the New York Daily News reported Friday.

"We have been dogged about making sure that when they raise money and tell the world they are going to spend it on Sandy recovery, they in fact spend it on Sandy recovery," Schneiderman said Thursday.

The American Red Cross agreed to spend another $6 million on housing-related needs. It had already spent or committed to spend more than 90 percent of the $308 million it raised.

A fund created by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the Brees Dream Foundation, had allocated only $75,000 of a $300,000 donation, officials said. Under the agreement, the foundation will disperse the remaining $225,000 by October 2014, the second anniversary of the storm.

The New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church also agreed to disperse over the next three years another $3.15 million it raised. The organization has spent $3.5 million of the money it raised for Sandy victims.

More than $288,000 will be dispersed by early next year from $390,000 raised by Kids in Distressed Situations.