Volunteers from the local chapter of the American Red Cross are working in emergency shelters, delivering food and offering crisis counseling in 13 states ravaged by superstorm Sandy.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is sending more than 150 employees to help restore power to the Eastern Seaboard.

Red Rover, a nonprofit animal welfare group based in Sacramento, has 50 people "on high alert" to rescue and shelter pets affected by the disaster.

As millions of people suffer the effects of the epic storm on the East Coast, organizations, agencies and businesses from across Northern California are reaching out to help.

• On Wednesday, Sutter Health donated $500,000 to the Capital Region chapter of the American Red Cross. The money will be given to the agency's national office "to help all of those affected by Sandy," said Dawn Lindblom, chief executive officer of the local Red Cross.

More than two dozen local volunteers, including a nurse and a licensed mental health worker, have left for the East Coast to help with storm relief, said Lindblom.

They will do "whatever is needed," from registering people at shelters to preparing food to delivering water, cleaning supplies and basic first aid, she said.

To donate to the relief effort through the Red Cross, log onto www.redcross.org, or use a smartphone to text 90999 and deliver an automatic $10 donation.

• Red Rover, which among other tasks provides temporary emergency sheltering for pets displaced by disasters, has rounded up volunteers on the East Coast who will help open and monitor shelters for pets affected by the storm, said program director Karen Brown.

"Animal relief efforts typically are a bit behind efforts to help humans, so it could be a few days before we are needed," she said. In recent years Red Rover, which has a national volunteer base, has responded to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and fires across the country.

The group is a founding member of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition, which organized following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

To learn more about Red Rover or to donate, go to www.redrover.org.

• PG&E has dispatched more than 150 employees to help Con Edison restore power to residents of New York. The workers include "electric first responders" whose specialty is pinpointing the causes of power outages, said spokeswoman Brandi Ehlers.

PG&E also is sending overhead and underground maintenance and construction crews and specialists in damage assessment, she said. Millions were still without power Wednesday.

The workers, who could be on the East Coast for three weeks or more, were drawn from across Northern and Central California in an effort "to make sure that we can help Con Ed customers in New York while making sure we can provide safe and reliable service to customers here in our area," Elhers said.

• West Sacramento-based Raley's has launched a chain-wide campaign enabling customers to donate to disaster relief. Donation boxes were set up Wednesday in Raley's, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source stores.

Raley's said 100 percent of donations made at collection boxes will go to relief efforts.

The grocer said donations will be split between relief efforts of the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

"We recognize the huge need for support, and we want to provide our customers with an easy way to contribute and feel confident that their donations are reaching people in need," said Jennie Teel-Wolter, Raley's community relations manager.

• The California National Guard, California's Urban Search & Rescue group and the California Emergency Management Agency also have deployed equipment and crews to areas affected by Sandy.

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