Wow for people and their generosity. As some people know, Hurrican Katrina has affected me more than your average American, because I can put faces, names, and voices to the images of the destruction and the feeling of hopelessness. I've got my sister-in-law who lived in Mid-City and worked as a musician and played piano at Pat O'Briens. Then there are stories of acquaintances of mine that started coming out of the woodwork - people who knew of others in need who weren't staying at Red Cross shelters, and therefore, were not getting much needed assistance.
Try to imagine a 3-generation family consisting of 7 people - one of which is wheelchair-bound. None of them have more than a high school education. They all are satl-of-the-earth people. Hard working, honest, but no savings to speak of. And they're crammed in a hotel room in Houston with no other family or friends able to help them out. And they want to leave the hotel and rent a two bedroom apartment, but can't even find the cash for a deposit on the apartment. Then there's clothes and food and medicine - all the basics that they left behind and don't have money to replenish.
These are the kinds of people - the ones who are trying to rebuild their lives on their own - who need help the most. They're teetering on the edge of hell and are doing their best to try to pull their lives back in order and recover.
I put a suggestion out to my family and friends that if anyone wanted to give me money, I would buy gift cards and distribute them to people like those described above who need help in more ways than words can describe.
Total sum collected - $800.
I am in absolute awe of how generous people are. THANK YOU so very much for helping me to help others in need.
Today was like Christmas. Me handing out gift cards to people and then me recieving much more than I could imagine. Just the look on their faces as I handed them fairly large sums of gift card was amazing.
1 comment:
I'm glad we could help!
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