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                                   —Washington Parent, December 2005 [read full review]

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September 15, 2005

DC Area Katrina Relief: New Info.

"A Heart as Big as Texas" Benefit Concert
Austin Grill's Silver Spring location
Sunday, September 18
8 p.m. 'til "last call"
$10 cover charge for the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund
(Kids 12 and under free)
All cover-charge entrants are entered in a raffle -- Grand prize is an iPod Mini! You must be present to win.
Performing artists include:
Chris Patterson
Rob Thorworth
Tony De
Tim Metz
Mike Holden
John Kaplan
The Making
Andrew Grimm & Andrew Norsworthy

Benefit Day at:
Ledo's Pizza & Pasta
5245 River Rd., Bethesda
301.656.5336
Ledo's will donate 50 percent of their entire day's receipts on Monday, September 19 (lunch and dinner) to the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.

Montgomery County has set up a hotline for volunteers to call to offer their services to help families who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina and have arrived in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Volunteer Center is managing that hotline, providing information on how volunteers can help immediately and taking names of people who can volunteer long-term. Opportunities are available on weekdays and on weekends. Call 240.777.2600 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Manna Food Center is requesting donations of non-perishable items such as baby food, nonfat dry milk, pasta, rice, noodles, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, canned tuna and salmon, and peanut butter to assist the Katrina families who are now living in Montgomery County. Call 301.424.1130 if you can help.

Project Backpack Enters Phase 2
This message from a Project Backpack parent:
"As you may have heard by now, Project Backpack for children displaced by Hurricane Katrina has been a huge success. In one week, more than 10,000 backpacks were collected from the DC Metro area. Thanks to the generosity of such carriers as UPS, Southwest Airlines, and Security Van Lines, those packs are being delivered as we speak to thousands of children in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and Houston. If you were watching ABC News in the last few days, you got to see a touch of the impact they had. Project Backpack has gained much media attention and is now nationwide in scope.

With the support of Sodexho USA, we are announcing the launch of Phase II of the DC Metro area effort, with the goal of collecting another 10,000 backpacks full of love and other necessities. Deadline for collection for Phase II is Wednesday, September 21 at 5 p.m.

Main Drop-off:
Sodexho USA
9801 Washingtonian Center
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Hours of collection:
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon-Fri.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat.-Sun.
Satellite drop-off locations throughout the metro area
can be found on the website: www.projectbackpack.org

Background:
Project Backpack comprises the efforts of hundreds of
folks from D.C. area and around the country who are
gathering backpacks for the Children of Katrina. It
was started by three sisters -- ages 14, 11, and eight --
in Bethesda, MD and their family, and has grown into a
national effort.

How can you help?
We Need Volunteers!
...to collect backpacks, get the word out, contribute to the website, or take part in operations at "backpack central" in Gaithersburg.
We Need Backpacks!
..filled with love and other necessities, with a note from you or your child (see the website for details).
We Need Donors!
Please, no cash donations. In-kind donations of transport, materials, boxes, or food for our volunteers would be great!"

A local mama who has been volunteering for the Red Cross at the DC Armory shares that the 200+ individuals currently housed there have a big need for suitcases, duffel bags, and totes. They are receiving clothing and toiletries, but have nowhere to store them and no way to transport these items when they move to more stable housing. She also reports that tons of infant and toddler clothing has been donated, but very little for children ages seven to 15. A lot of women's clothing has already been donated, but not a lot for men. Pants, shorts, and socks for men are very much in need. The remainin women's clothing need at the Armory is for skirts and dresses. These ladies would need interview and church clothes, as well as new undergarments. If you have appropriate items to donate, you can deliver them to the Armory or send email to the wonderful volunteer mama who shared this vital info.: judyaf@starpower.net.

If you would like to do something long-term that will specifically serve babies and pregnant women in the Katrina-affected areas, consider contributing to the March of Dimes' effort. They report that the long-term needs for mothers and babies in affected areas which must be addressed over the next 3 to 12 months include:

An expected rise in the number of babies born prematurely, who will require specialized NICUs, equipment and care;

A potentially large increase in the number of births in towns and cities such as Baton Rouge and Jackson, Mississippi that are housing evacuees, putting strain on existing facilities and services;

Organizing and deploying more outreach workers and trained health professionals to provide prenatal care and counseling for displaced pregnant women;

Updated information for pregnant women and families on available services as situations change;

Multivitamins with folic acid for women of childbearing age and pregnant women to reduce the risk of birth defects; and

Purchasing infant and child vaccinations for shelters and clinics.

You can help by sending a monetary donation that can be used in the areas of greatest need. Donations can be made to the March of Dimes by visiting its website at www.marchofdimes.com. Through the site you may also donate directly to the Louisiana or Mississippi chapter, or any MOD chapter you choose.

You can read a thorough press release on what March of Dimes is doing with doanted funds at: http://www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/14458_17008.asp.

Posted by Sarah at September 15, 2005 7:42 PM.

Posted by: Lynn at September 24, 2005 4:47 PM