In three stints, the friends have raised $200 for the victims, including one generous $100 donation from a hip-hop fan who was impressed with their rhyming skills and asked to join in. They plan to hit the streets again this weekend and will give the money to the surf club to buy socks, blankets and other needed supplies.

"I feel like they're going to need more help as people start to forget and life continues as usual," Ramos said.

'Hard-wired to tell stories'

Arriving by bus, train and plane, thousands of Mormons from across the country canceled their church plans one Sunday to help with Sandy relief. One of those volunteers, Joshua Brown, documented the day on video.

The Manhattan wedding videographer heard stories of loss, devastation and even some of hope from the people of Rockaway, New York.

"We lost everything, but with people like you, we know everything's going to be alright and we have faith in God," said one woman who choked back tears as he interviewed her.

Days earlier, Brown joined Mormons Helping Hands. His job was ripping out dry wall from waterlogged homes. As he worked, he saw a "huge need" for more volunteers to help the community rebuild.

The next time he went back to Rockaway -- that Sunday -- he brought his camera along to help get the word out.

"The day I was shooting the video, I felt a little guilty being there. Some of my friends were there doing really intense, back-breaking work," he said. "But by making the video, I felt I could persuade more people to get out there, which was the best thing I could do with my talents."

He accomplished his goal. Between Vimeo and CNN iReport, his video received about 270,000 views.

"I'm hard-wired to tell stories," he said. "I thought that this was the best tool to get more people."

Although he got his message across, Brown still worries.

"People were already putting this in the rear view, and that was just two weeks after (the storm)," he said. "Now it's been a month ... and there's still so much more to be done out there, so I'm hoping that it won't fade away."