I'm sure you all have heard about the horrific damage that Hurricane Katrina has caused to the southeastern area of the United States. In New Orleans alone, over a million people are homeless and out of work/school. Thousands are dead. Help is arriving from all parts of the nation, and world, but slowly. The struck areas are still in disarray and chaos, as there is little existing infrastructure to efficiently put the donations and funds to use. This does not mean that the rest of us should be discouraged from helping! This hurricane is the worst of its kind in American history. It is a national emergency that demands our help now. Here are some ideas for what you, and your Friends, can do to aid the victims:
Donate money -- Donate individually, or better yet, garner the help of your friends to hold a fundraiser in your school, community center, or place of worship.
Donate goods -- At this point, any hygiene, clothing, or food (non-perishable) items would be much appreciated by the victims. These items should be new or in good condition (i.e. the clothing).
Host a drive -- This idea sort of combines the above two suggestions. Ask your Friends, family, classmates, neighbors, and community to drop off the aforementioned goods at a designated site. Then, invite them to assemble them into care packages.
The collected goods may be sent to the following sites (be sure to call them and ask which goods they'll be expecting as different situations may arise that demand other items):
The Baton Rouge River Center
275 South River Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
tel: 225-389-3030
The Women's Center
222 Veteran's Blvd.
Suite C
Denham Springs, LA 70726
tel: 225. 665-0214
Marksville City Hall
Attn: Hurricane Relief Coordinator
Myron Gagnard
427 North Washington St.
Marksville, LA 71351
tel: 318. 253. 9500
(this place is distributing to other places, too)
The St. Vincent de Paul Society for Katrina Evacuees
Ozanam Outlet
610 Memory Lane
Houston, TX 77037.
-Alina
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