"What follows is one list of 10 great things happening in response to
Hurricane Katrina. These are deserving places for your support, whether
it is to give housing, use your tech skills, volunteer or give hard
cash.
- American Friends Service Committee (via veteran reporter Doug Ireland):
"If you’d like to make a donation that will actually help the poorest
citizens of New Orleans, Biloxi, and the many small Southern towns
devastated by Katrina, you should do so through the American Friends Service Committee. They’ve established a special Hurricane Relief fund.
The AFSC was founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious
objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims. It’s still
Quaker-run, and its sterling history of agitation and education for
peace is matched by its long record, for nearly a century, of lean,
effective, on-the-ground service to victims of war and famine. A gift
to the AFSC won’t be wasted." - NAACP disaster relief efforts.
Juan Proano explains that the NAACP, America’s oldest civil rights
organization, "is setting up command centers in Louisiana, Mississippi
and Alabama as part of its disaster relief efforts. NAACP units across
the nation have begun collecting resources that will be placed on
trucks and sent directly into the disaster areas. Also, the NAACP has
established a disaster relief fund to accept monetary donations to aid
in the relief effort. The NAACP has chapters and members throughout the
disaster area, and is intent on getting relief to those most in need at
the grassroots level. "Send checks payable to:
NAACP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215
Donations can also be made online at: https://www.naacp.org/disaster/contribute.php
- Cindy Sheehan and Veterans for Peace. From Michael Moore:
"Join with me in bypassing the colossally inept and incompetent Bush
administration and get help DIRECTLY to the people of the New Orleans
area — right now. Many don’t know who to trust. I have a way, though,
for each and every one of us to do something that can affect people’s
lives TODAY. I’ve been working with a group that, I guarantee you, will
get direct aid to the people who need it most. Cindy Sheehan, the brave
woman who dared to challenge Mr. Bush at his summer home has joined The
Veterans for Peace set up camp in Covington, Louisiana, on the shores
of Lake Pontchartrain. They are accepting materials and personally
distributing them to those in need and are going to be delivering
much-needed supplies." Needed now: paper plates, paper towels, toilet
paper, baby diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, Pedialyte, baby items in
general, powder, lotion, handy wipes, sterile gloves, electrolytes,
LARGE cans of veggies, school supplies, and anything else to lift
people’s spirits. Visit VFPRoadTrips.org for instructions on shipping these things, or driving them there yourself. - Help ACORN get on its feet again. ACORN,
the most influential organization in the U.S. in fighting for
low-income people is really hurting. From Allison Conyers: "Our
headquarters in New Orleans has been destroyed. Now we are fighting to
relocate and aid the more than 9,000 member families we have there. We
have members in Houston who are taking in many families and are now
organizing a van tour that will pick up goods from cities all over the
country. We need support to open a temporary national headquarters in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and, when possible, reopen our offices in New
Orleans. As we get up and running, we will gather together our
displaced community members and work to help secure the housing,
community services, and other relief they need. All of this will be
expensive, so please consider a contribution to the ACORN Hurricane Recovery and Rebuilding Fund." - Help people reconnect. PeopleFinder
is a volunteer-driven database project attempting to compile all of the
information currently found online — from official Red Cross databases
to Craigslist lost-and-found postings — into one central repository,
and to republish that information in a way that will be easily
searchable and amendable to existing databases. From Zack Rosen,
founder of CivicSpace Labs: "I was stunned by the response they
received when the project was launched on Friday. By Saturday, we had
around 100 developers working on the various pieces; by this afternoon,
volunteers have processed over 60,000 records of information. I haven’t
ever seen anything like it." They’re expecting to have the search
functions finished by the weekend, and will be working with the Red
Cross and FEMA to finalize some of the implementation.A number of technicians at Community Wireless Rapid Response
are putting together a low-powered FM radio network, and are in need of
radio equipment donations. They need 10,000 radios and the batteries to
run them ASAP. They’re also working on setting up WiFi and other
wireless communications, and are based out of Houston. Equipment and
techies in that area are needed.Air America Radio’s Public Voicemail,
1-866-217-6255, is a way for disconnected people to communicate in the
wake of Katrina. Here’s how it works: Call the toll-free number above,
enter your everyday phone number, and then record a message. Other
people who know your everyday phone number (even if it doesn’t work
anymore) can call Emergency Voicemail, enter the phone number they
associate with you, and hear your message. You can also search for
messages left by people whose phone numbers you know. Air America Radio
will leave Public Voicemail in service for as long as this crisis
continues. You can call it whenever you are trying to locate someone,
or if you are trying to be found. Air America Radio brings you
Emergency VoiceMail in conjunction with VoodooVox. - Supporting local foundations and organizations. From Sara Van Gelder, editor of Yes Magazine:
"Here are some local groups who need donations to enable them to
provide immediate disaster relief. These groups come well-recommended
by trusted sources as organizations with a long-term commitment to
stricken areas and a strong track record of making a difference."- The
Enterprise Corporation of the Delta and the Hope Community Credit Union
will use donated funds for immediate relief, and then help people
rebuild their homes and businesses in the distressed communities in
Louisiana and Mississippi where these not-for-profit organizations have
been operating for a dozen years.Enterprise Corporation of the Delta
222 North President Street/Suite 200
Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 601-944-1100; Toll-free: 1-866-THE-DELTA (1-866-843-3358); FAX: 601-944-0808
Email: info@ecd.org - The
Baton Rouge Area Foundation is estimating that as many as half a
million displaced people may be in Baton Rouge for up to six months.
The foundation’s Hurricane Katrina Displaced Residents Fund is seeking
funds to assist with housing, food and basic necessities for these
hurricane refugees. A second fund, Hurricane Katrina New Orleans
Recovery Fund, will help those who return to the Greater New Orleans
area get back on their feet. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is a
non-profit community foundation comprised of over 300 charitable funds.Baton Rouge Area Foundation
402 N. Fourth Street
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
Phone (225) 387-6126
Toll-free 1(877) 387-6126
- The
- Housing offers. MoveOn has the largest housing network operation running so far, and the Louisiana state government has endorsed it on their site
(note that all housing shelters listed for the state of Louisiana are
listed as full). From Noah T. Winer: "In the face of the enormous
tragedy unfolding in the Southeast, the response from MoveOn members
and the general public to our volunteer housing efforts has been
amazing and heartwarming. Since last Thursday, offers of over 150,000
beds have been posted at hurricanehousing.org, with over 50,000 of those spots in the Southeast. …Over
1,500 people have responded to the postings, seeking housing for 11,000
hurricane victims — even as most relief organizations are still
focused primarily on saving everyone they can from the most immediate
dangers. With over a million people displaced, we expect that the
housing offered so far will be snapped up." - Preventing local non-profits from getting marginalized. From Drummond Pike at the Tides Foundation:
"In the past, Tides has established Rapid Response Funds for
emergencies (Hurricane Mitch, 9/11, and the recent tsunami). In each
case, we have used the funds to fill in the gaps where progressive
organizations, community groups or underserved populations are left
marginalized by the larger relief programs. That is our intent here. We
expect that the bulk of the funds will be used to support the recovery
of nonprofits that have served the Gulf States for years. Once on their
feet, these groups will be one of the best ways to aid displaced people
in dire straights. Second, we will be looking for ways to help
undocumented immigrants and others often left outside government and
Red Cross sponsored programs.Tides Rapid Response Fund for Hurricane Katrina Relief and Rebuilding
has been established for our friends to easily make contributions. You
can make an instant online donation to the fund by clicking the
DonateNow button at www.tidesfoundation.org/RR_0905.cfm " - Supporting the AFL-CIO Union Community Fund’s special Hurricane Relief Fund. Donations will be targeted to meet the most critical needs among working families. From the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center:
Those of us fortunate to be outside the hurricane’s path must help and
we must help now. The AFL-CIO’s Union Community Fund has established a
special Hurricane Relief Fund that will target help where it’s needed
most by working families. We are working with the labor federations in
affected states and with relief organizations to make sure your
contributions help brother and sister union members whose lives have
been turned upside down. Please click on the link below to make your
tax-deductible contribution now:https://secure.ga3.org/08/UCF_Katrina_ReliefThe
Union Community Fund — "labor’s charity for working families and
communities in distress" — is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity.
Donations to the Union Community Fund are tax-deductible to the extent
provided by law. - Supporting the local progressive union community coaltion. From Van Jones, executive director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights:
"Community Labor United (CLU), a coalition of the progressive
organizations throughout New Orleans, has brought community members
together for eight years to discuss socio-economic issues. We have set
up a People’s Hurricane Fund that will be directed and administered by
New Orleans’ evacuees. The Young People’s Project, a 501(c)3
organization formed by graduates of the Algebra Project, has agreed to
accept donations on behalf of this fund. Donations can be mailed to:
The People’s Hurricane Fund c/o The Young People’s Project
99 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139If you have comments of how to proceed or need more information, please email Curtis Muhammad, muhammadcurtis@bellsouth.net
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