Saturday, September 17, 2005
Hurricane Relief
I have noticed several eighteen wheeler trailers parked in shopping center parking lots collecting clothing for hurricane relief. I applaud these people's efforts, but do they know what they are doing?
I have read several articles in the local papers and heard numerous times on TV that they do not want clothing contributions!
When the clothing reaches it's destination, it needs to be inspected for holes & tears, cleanliness, and general condition. That which is junk needs to be disposed. That which is usable needs to be sorted by category and size, and labeled.
There isn't enough help to do this. People are too busy with more important tasks. The clothing problem, since people are now dispersed, can be solved by giving them vouchers (paid for by cash donations) and send them down to Wal Mart, etc. to get what they need.
These clothing drives do accomplish one thing. They enable people to clean out their attics, basements, garages, & closets and get rid of old junk. Some of the things that show up at clothing collections are high heeled shoes, bathing suits , dirty place mats, holy socks, and "you name it" To help the displaced??
I had an instructor for a class on Weapons of Mass Ddestruction and Mass Casualties who was the "Logistics Chief" during the World Trade Center Recovery. He stated that they just rented several warehouses outside of NYC and diverted these well meaning trucks to them to be unloaded for disposal at some future time.
So what should you do?
1 Send Money to the Red Cross, Salvation Army or your church's disaster relief organization or other various organizations being advertised.
2. Volunteer for one of these organizations. They send in evaluation teams to determine needs and can direct your efforts so that they count.
I have read several articles in the local papers and heard numerous times on TV that they do not want clothing contributions!
When the clothing reaches it's destination, it needs to be inspected for holes & tears, cleanliness, and general condition. That which is junk needs to be disposed. That which is usable needs to be sorted by category and size, and labeled.
There isn't enough help to do this. People are too busy with more important tasks. The clothing problem, since people are now dispersed, can be solved by giving them vouchers (paid for by cash donations) and send them down to Wal Mart, etc. to get what they need.
These clothing drives do accomplish one thing. They enable people to clean out their attics, basements, garages, & closets and get rid of old junk. Some of the things that show up at clothing collections are high heeled shoes, bathing suits , dirty place mats, holy socks, and "you name it" To help the displaced??
I had an instructor for a class on Weapons of Mass Ddestruction and Mass Casualties who was the "Logistics Chief" during the World Trade Center Recovery. He stated that they just rented several warehouses outside of NYC and diverted these well meaning trucks to them to be unloaded for disposal at some future time.
So what should you do?
1 Send Money to the Red Cross, Salvation Army or your church's disaster relief organization or other various organizations being advertised.
2. Volunteer for one of these organizations. They send in evaluation teams to determine needs and can direct your efforts so that they count.
# posted by Bob @ 9/17/2005 01:48:00 PM 
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I love reading your blog, or is it blogs? Anyway,we like being informed about you!
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# posted by 
: September 27, 2005 11:47 AM
: September 27, 2005 11:47 AM << Home
