UPDATE 11/3/05 - What's going on with this blog?

Hello from Blogger Grace! 

It's been nearly two months since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, and two months since this mighty little blog assisted donors in shipping supplies and equipment directly to the disaster zone.  What a great project! Applause all around!  But, our work continues as our friends in the disaster zone still need us.

Most of the evacuee shelters have closed and relief organizations have assisted individuals and families in locating permanent housing.  To that end, we will no longer provide a list of shelters for your donations.  Instead, we will be writing blog entries about distribution centers and other relief services.  These are organizations we know well, with contacts we have worked closely with from the beginning of our endeavor.  Therefore, we can guarantee that these groups will ensure that your donations will go directly to individuals in critical need.  'Direct' donations has been the key to how we operate and why this blog became nationally recognized.  We realize you want your gifts to be used immediately, and not sitting in storage for weeks on end, tied up in red tape.

And, if you want to help the evacuee families in their transition period from the shelter, please take a look at our sister project, Family to Family.  We post 'wish lists' for individual families on this blog.  Kindly take a look at the Family to Family site to see how you can help these families in their new lives.

Finally, our blog will continue to provide details about on-site volunteer opportunities. The task of rebuilding on the Coast will continue for months to come, and these communities will welcome all who wish to extend the profound gift of time and labor.  We know several groups who will be travelling to the Coast during Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks and we'll be putting them in touch with volunteer coordinators and crews in the area.  Perhaps this may appeal to you, too.  If so, do take a look at the calls for volunteers listed in the blog entries.

Friends, we will carry on for as long as our fellow citizens on the Gulf Coast need us.  We hope you can join us in any way you can.

Many blessings to all!

Comments

[Barrie Cook]

This is a wonderful site! I sent a big box of stuff to the Petal Civic Center shelter. Are there plans to make this blog cover more geographical areas? I live in CA myself, but people that live in other cities with shelters as far away as AZ might be able to see what they need and post here (you could organize by state or something). And then it would cost less to ship stuff from the West Coast, so we could send more!

[GraceD]

Hey there Barrie!

Thanks, you are an angel of the highest order.

Barrie, we're focusing on Mississippi as this whole
thing...for now. Things are happening quickly and we're identifying long term needs.
Let's see what comes up next.

Thanks so much for your willingness and generosity.

[squid]

Just as I was about to go to the UPS office and send off some boxes, I checked their website and discovered that as of 9/9 they'd suspended service to the zip code I was targeting. So please advise people to check with the shipping service before hand.

More info:

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/about/news/service_updates/Katrina.html

[squid]

Or even better, here are the UPS areas where service is suspended, indefinitely. This affects many if not most of the listed shelters. Damn it!

Louisiana:

70000 - 70048
70050
70053 - 70070
70072 - 70075
70077 - 70083
70085
70087 - 70089
70091 - 70199
70452
70458 - 70461
70469

Mississippi:

39426
39452
39456
39457
39463
39466
39470
39501 - 39507
39520 - 39535
39540
39552-39577
39581
39595

[GraceD]

From the blog keeper:

Squid! You're the woman of the hour! Thanks for checking this out. The downloadable list has been updated with this information.

You guys rock,
Grace

[Theresa]

I'm a Californian and don't recognize most of the cities to know which state they're in. If the list is separated by states you could put the state that you're talking about at the top of each list. It would make it easier for those of us that are clueless. :0)

[fernanda Permenter]

We are here in fort bragg ca. and are deeply saddened by the hauuricane's aftermath. As a community we the people of fort bragg will be holding a benefit to raise funds for you all. My husband is from Miss. We're thinkin of comming up there and bringing good help. Our benefit will be on oct 15 bless yo all we will keep in touch thank you for all the info. on shelters and what is needed we will do everything to help god bless everyone peace.

[Appleseed]

URL for DHL undeliverable areas as of September 7 in both LA and MS is located at:

http://www.dhl-usa.com/custserv/servicealert.asp?id=1

Copy of undeliverable zip codes for Mississippi is pasted below.

39426 39457 39463 39466 39470 39501 39502 39503 39505 39506 39507 39520 39521 39522 39525 39529 39530 39531 39532 39533 39534 39535 39540 39556 39558 39560 39561 39564 39565 39566 39571 39572 39573 39574 39576 39577 39632 39635 39645 39648 39649 39652 39657 39664 39666 39667

Information on web site not changed as of September 12th. Advisable to call carrier and ask as web sites may not have been updated!

[Mark Gehres]

I am a volunteer at St. Paul Methodist Church in Ocean Springs, MS where we are housing a Red Cross shelter as well as operating a distribution site for local families. We are also feeding hot meals to as many people as we can. Here are the items we currently need. As this list changes daily, please e-mail me for current shortages.

Pillows and pillow cases, sheets (all sizes), blankets,
Laundry detergent (small boxes)
Dish soap, bleach, sponges, mops, brooms,
Rakes, shovels,
Canned food (not commercial size), eggs, milk, butter (individual packets), breakfast cereal (individual serving), sugar (individual packets), creamer, slice cheese, juice boxes and snack foods for children.

[Mary Ellen Barlow]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I've been searching everywhere to try to find out how to help the people in Mississippi. This is, by far, the most informative site I've come across. I keep thinking about how quickly the holidays are going to come & have wanted to "adopt" a family. Maybe by that time, we'll be able to make sure people can have some sort of Christmas!! I'll definitely be back. (I'm in Upstate New York ... will be mailing a package of supplies tomorrow). Thanks again.

[Donna]

I'm a strict vegetarian (no 'flesh', eggs, dairy) and I know there are others like me. Where can I send, non perisable, protein sources? Thanks!!!

[GraceD]

Donna, our shelters have not presented those needs to us as of yet. And our resources are minimal, otherwise, we would call and ask.

But there is a large distribution center through the Christt United Methodist Church (CUMC). hey're well organized and serving the larger community, driving food and supplies where the UPS and FedEx trucks are not shipping. Try their website and contact these great folks. Here's their link:

http://www.cumcjxn.org/web/home.nsf/NewsLink/shelterneeds?OpenDocument

Many blessings!
Grace/blog keeper

[Tanja Dixon]

We are have free clothes and household items for hurricane Katrina Evacuees and families. We are having a clothes drive on Saturday, Sept. 24,2005 10 am to 6 pm at Rivers of Blessings Christian Center, 27215 124th Ave. SE, Kent, WA 98031, We have all sizes and shoes too and other househould items. If you need us to bring them to you or ship to you or if you know any families that are in need you can email me at tanny20_98@yahoo.com or call Tanja at (253) 639-5864.
Thank you and God bless you all.

[cheri pinner]

I am with the Good Sheppard Churchin Hayesville NC and we would like to help a particular family or shelter with needs as of this week OCT 4 th, please let me know what we can do.

[Saba Jamaluddin]

Please let me know what shelters need what at this time and if UPS and FEDEX etc are delivering to the said locations now. I would like to send donations but would like to start with whatever is needed the most at this time.
Thanks

[tony hall]

i am working on sending and going with over 80pallets of GOOD needed supplies. anyone may contact me...

[Sarah H]

To everyone collecting and shipping supplies.

Please - Make sure that everything you send is clean and in good condition. People who have lost everything do not need everybody else's castoffs. I have sent three tractor-trailer loads of supplies south thus far, and I can tell you with some authority that aproximately half of what is donated is actually junk. That experince holds true for friends of mine who have also sent tractor-trailers to the Gulf, and worse - is reported back to me from people down there who recieved the junk. I have sorted through tons - each truck carried 40,000 pounds - of clothes and had to throw out tons. It was dirty, disgusting and at times discouraging work. People actually gave their kid's lunch boxes with old lunches still in them - ugh. The Fire Chief I am working with in Pearlington, Miss. told me yesterday that he has found the same thing- moldy lunches, plus he has a dumptruck load of horrible old clothes that people sent down, some by UPS. Clearly, no one bothered to check them over before sending them. His wife wondered to me on the phone recently "why would anyone send us such terrible things?" after she opened yet another box of rusty, beat up pots and pans. Believe me, it hurts people's dignity when they find such trash. Either check over what you send -or don't send it. Better yet, send down gift cards to Walmart, Lowes, Target, Home Depot or Sears so that people can buy what they really need. This was suggested to me by clergymen running several different shelters and helping people in hard hit communities. Find a church on the internet in the gulf area, give it a call, see if it could use the help and if it would distribute cards to people truly in need - not every area is. Then send them. One suggestion is: Father Milton Gibson, Christ Church, 1534 7th Street, Slidell, Louisiana 70458. He helps people at churches of all denominations and all races, as well as through area fire departments like Pearlington. The hurricane's eye came ashore at Slidell, the entire area and crossing over into Mississippi at Pearlington can use all of the help it can get.