NFL

Giants lend helping hand at Sandy sites

Tuesday is traditionally a day off for NFL players, but that didn’t stop many of the Giants yesterday from going out to help in the relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy.

Players headed to the Jersey Shore, Staten Island and New Jersey food banks to help and assist those suffering from the after-effects of the super storm that devastated parts of the region.

In addition, the Giants have donated $500,000 to help the relief efforts, splitting the money evenly between two major organizations, Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.

“The New York metropolitan area sustained extensive and devastating damage to its infrastructure in Hurricane Sandy,” Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said in a joint statement. “The Giants want to do everything we can to assist our neighbors, fans and friends. Toward that end, after careful consideration, we have decided to make donations to these two very worthy funds. We are in this for the long haul and will continue to assist relief efforts in our hard-hit region.”

The Giants put their muscle behind their money. Eli Manning traveled to Staten Island with the American Red Cross to assist in the battered borough. Eight players went to Seaside Heights, where the famed boardwalk was destroyed by the storm. Those assisting the relief efforts and distributing food there were Steve Weatherford, Prince Amukamara, Marcus Kuhn, David Douglas, Brandon Mosley, Matt Broha, Terrence Fredrick and Laron Scott.

Other Giants — Justin Tuck, Kevin Boothe, Lawrence Tynes, David Baas, Domenik Hixon, Bear Pascoe and Jim Cordle — were at the New Jersey Food Bank, where they assisted in sorting food and making sandwiches for relief workers.

The Giants and the NFL have encouraged donations to American Red Cross in-stadium and during game broadcasts. Manning and Osi Umenyiora taped PSAs for the relief effort last week. Fans wishing to donate to the American Red Cross can text Red Cross to 9-0-9-9-9 to donate $10. They can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

When they hosted the Steelers on Sunday, the Giants held their annual food drive to assist victims of the storm. Fans donated 38,405 pounds of food and $18,723, making it by far the team’s most successful drive ever.