Here is a link to a blog site where you can see various places to donate for victims of Hurricane Katrina:
Church to Help Katrina’s Refugees
Those Superdome refugees will soon be pouring into Houston. Many are those who didn’t have the means to evacuate New Orleans. Most have lost everything.
An inner-city Houston church is coordinating an effort with the Red Cross and several area shelters/missions to gather funds and supplies for those relocating to the Astrodome. Money is, of course, needed most. However, if you wish to donate items, here is a list of things they have requested:
Diapers (infant, toddler, adult); syringes; baby formula; blankets; towels; pillows; Wal-mart cards; toiletries (soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, feminine products, etc.); nonperishable food items (make sure no can opener is needed); batteries; underwear; baby powder; laundry soap; and toilet paper.
You may send donations (money or items) to:
Katrina Relief
c/o Impact Church of Christ
1704 Weber
Houston, TX 77007
How Can I Help?
As many of you may have heard, the city of Houston has graciously opened its doors to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and the Astrodome has cleared its schedule through the end of December to house the refugees. What a marvelous gift this is, considering the staggering loss of revenue that vendors, promoters, and even the city itself will sustain. Hats off to Houston!
As I sat at my desk today in an air conditioned office, while those in the Superdome are sweltering, and was blessed with food, water, a clean bathroom, and other daily necessities I often take for granted, I began to brainstorm what I can do to help.
A local businessman, owner of a trucking company, who is donating the use of two tractor/trailer and drivers for our community to fill with bottled water and nonperishable items. He placed one trailer in a neighboring town and one in ours and has challenged the two communities to see which one fills the trailer first. Pretty creative idea. We beat them at football last night (32-17). I’m hoping we can hurry up and fill that trailer so it can be heading south!
So while I stood in line at Wal-mart, cart filled with water so our next-door neighbor town won’t win the challenge, I kept thinking, "But what can I do?" Then it hit me. My daughter sews. She loves to make pillows. Anyone who has been her friend for any length of time has received a pillow she’s made. So, I’m thinking…these people who are being relocated to the Astrodome will need pillows. I can sew, too. And we have two sewing machines. All right! We’ll make pillows.
I called my mom, excited that I had come up with a tangible way to help–more than simply stacking a few dozen bottles of water into the back of a 53-foot trailer. So my mom called one of her friends. Her daughter likes to sew. Likes to make pillows for her friends, too. Must be a teen-age girl thing. Anyway, mom’s friend has a friend. She likes to sew. In fact, she teaches a sewing class. A class that has stacks of material–more than they’ll ever be able to use–that has been donated. AND…a room with eight sewing machines set up and ready to roll. Now that one little idea has blossomed into a pillow party. And we’ve already had two people volunteer to donate gas and the use of a van to take the pillows to Houston when they’re finished. I made ONE phone call. That’s it.
Now think about what you like to do. How can you help? Make a phone call. Perhaps the person you call will make a phone call. Perhaps that call will lead to the means to make a big difference in the lives of those who have suffered from the horrors of Katrina. I challenge each one of you to take a moment and think…What can I do?
