These groups will not take a lot of money "off the top," so most of the
donations will go to the people who really need them.
http://www.alternet.org/story/25177/
10 Great Ways You Can Help
By Don Hazen, AlterNet. Posted September 7, 2005.
Let's not let our clumsy, uncaring government undermine our capacity to help
those in need. Here are 10 outstanding endeavors that deserve our support.
In the absence of leadership and compassion from the White House and the
entire administration, along with the unbelievable scope of the tragedy of
Hurricane Katrina, there has been an unprecedented citizen response of
money, goods, volunteers and technology creating a river of love and support
to the more than a million displaced people. Simply stated, Americans are
not going to let a clumsy, uncaring government undermine our capacity to
support those in need.
It's clear that huge numbers of Americans don't agree with the Bush
administration's philosophy and strategy of shrinking government and
services. In downgrading FEMA and cutting funding for flood protection for
New Orleans, while spending hundreds of billions of dollars to send hundreds
of thousands of American troops and tons of equipment to Iraq, our country
and our people have been left vulnerable. When big trouble happens at home,
as it did with Hurricane Katrina, the fundamental cruelty of disdaining and
downgrading government services is made abundantly clear.
As often happens in big disasters, huge enterprises like the Red Cross and
the Salvation Army and others get the bulk of the money raised (the Red
Cross has already raised over $350 million). Sometimes these big operations
do not have the nimbleness or the understanding of the local community to
apply the aid in the smartest and most strategic way. That's when we have to
trust the people we know, and the local grassroots groups that have been
serving their communities for decades.
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.
1. 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."
2. 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
3. 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.
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