Friday, September 2, 2005 has been declared International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day, and as such, I am going to postpone the usual content that might appear here to participate, as I feel almost sick to my stomach that I don't have the resources to simply pack up my car and start helping people down in a desperate city that I love myself.
As an aspiring writer, I have long harbored a dream that at some point in the future, when I had the financial means and capability to do so, I might temporarily find myself an arty apartment in the French Quarter of New Orleans where I would spend several months to work exclusively on books and stories. Having visited the city, it is a place that continues to resonate in my imagination. Stories of real-life vampires and voodoo and quirky residents who have passed through its streets gave me a true affinity for the place. Now, I see that city falling into ruins, and even though I am heartbroken at the realization that it will never be the same again, none of that even matters at this point. There are thousands of people there who urgently need help. Since the city is one of the poorest in the nation, many of the people whom you are seeing on television had no transportation that might allow them to evacuate the town, and now they are suffering because the worst-case scenario has been realized. I beg of anyone who reads this column to offer some aid, even if it's in the smallest of increments.
Naturally, the primary and most reliable source of assistance is The American Red Cross. Before you head over to their site to donate, check in with your human resources office to see if your employer might offer a matching plan. If you can't get to the Red Cross site directly, there are plenty of places that are acting as intermediaries. Visit either Amazon or Apple and you can still get your contribution to the folks who need it.
Following are a host of other organizations that might more particularly match either your beliefs or the level of assistance you want to offer. In addition, there may be local agencies and drives that are gathering supplies to send to the area, and you can certainly learn more by checking the Web site for your local newspaper.
Feed the Children
Network for Good
The Salvation Army
Volunteer Florida
Serve Alabama
America's Second Harvest
Catholic Charities USA
B'nai B'rith International
United Jewish Communities
Union for Reform Judaism
AmeriCares
Brother's Brother Foundation
Christian Relief Fund
Convoy of Hope
Direct Relief International
Food for the Poor
Islamic Relief
Mercy Corps
Northwest Medical Teams International
Operation Blessing
PETsMART Charities
Samaritan's Purse
World Emergency Relief
And in the meantime, it sure couldn't hurt matters any to visit The Hunger Site and click through to their family of sites to give for free.
As an aspiring writer, I have long harbored a dream that at some point in the future, when I had the financial means and capability to do so, I might temporarily find myself an arty apartment in the French Quarter of New Orleans where I would spend several months to work exclusively on books and stories. Having visited the city, it is a place that continues to resonate in my imagination. Stories of real-life vampires and voodoo and quirky residents who have passed through its streets gave me a true affinity for the place. Now, I see that city falling into ruins, and even though I am heartbroken at the realization that it will never be the same again, none of that even matters at this point. There are thousands of people there who urgently need help. Since the city is one of the poorest in the nation, many of the people whom you are seeing on television had no transportation that might allow them to evacuate the town, and now they are suffering because the worst-case scenario has been realized. I beg of anyone who reads this column to offer some aid, even if it's in the smallest of increments.
Naturally, the primary and most reliable source of assistance is The American Red Cross. Before you head over to their site to donate, check in with your human resources office to see if your employer might offer a matching plan. If you can't get to the Red Cross site directly, there are plenty of places that are acting as intermediaries. Visit either Amazon or Apple and you can still get your contribution to the folks who need it.
Following are a host of other organizations that might more particularly match either your beliefs or the level of assistance you want to offer. In addition, there may be local agencies and drives that are gathering supplies to send to the area, and you can certainly learn more by checking the Web site for your local newspaper.
Feed the Children
Network for Good
The Salvation Army
Volunteer Florida
Serve Alabama
America's Second Harvest
Catholic Charities USA
B'nai B'rith International
United Jewish Communities
Union for Reform Judaism
AmeriCares
Brother's Brother Foundation
Christian Relief Fund
Convoy of Hope
Direct Relief International
Food for the Poor
Islamic Relief
Mercy Corps
Northwest Medical Teams International
Operation Blessing
PETsMART Charities
Samaritan's Purse
World Emergency Relief
And in the meantime, it sure couldn't hurt matters any to visit The Hunger Site and click through to their family of sites to give for free.
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