Katrina Resource Notes….

Kevin Powell and friends hosted a benefit on Thursday, September 8th at the Canal Room in NYC. Admission was to the event was 1 bag of supplies to be loaded onto a truck headed for Ground Zero the following morning. The hosts provided a list of needed supplies and threw the event with hopes that others would use it as a blueprint for organizing benefits elsewhere in New York City, in other cities or towns, on college campuses, churches or other religious institutions, via fraternities or sororities, or via local civic or social organizations.

Kevin took a few moments to send these random thoughts out into the world two days later:

This is Kevin Powell. I am moving from place to place very quickly. No real time to write or download all that is happening so quickly, but just wanted to share a few quick and random thoughts....
I immediately flew to Louisiana after the New York City benefit on Thursday night, so I am mad tired but also mad appreciative of all the folks who came out and stayed into the wee hours on Friday. It was incredible and surreal, watching SO MANY PEOPLE show up with tons of donations, volunteering their time to load and sift through stuff on the spot, all the tears, all the giving, all that humanity in one place. And when we thought we would be STUCK with a half a block of donations with no place to put them (MANY people at the event called storage companies and trucking companies, to no avail), a young man who is a truck driver just happened to show up with his own items to donate (divine intervention, i would say) and offered his truck for this effort, to drive, himself, on the spot, if we covered gas, toll, and food. We raised nearly $2000 on the spot for him (THANK YOU to painter and writer Danny Simmons and actor Michael Rapport for putting us over the hump with donations at like 2AM), and he was ready to go after saying good bye to his girlfriend, who had accompanied him to the event. We planned on sending ONE tractor trailer to a relief and distribution center for Gulf Coast survivors in Mobile, Alabama, but wound up with two because of the sincere generosity of folks who came to the benefit, and because of that young man, the truck driver. The two tractor trailers full of stuff for the people should be in Mobile, Alabama, by now. i am in Baton Rouge, after touring New Orleans all day yesterday (yes, I got in, because of connections I have down here and because you never know unless you try). New Orleans looks like a war torn country. We talked with and interviewed, on camera, folks who refuse to leave (I hope they will be okay, as they looked defiant AND sad, hopeful AND hungry). Troops are everywhere, and in the very poorest Black communities, like the Bywater and 9th Ward, the flood waters are still there. Lots of dead bodies, too, and lots of stray animals, and the STENCH is as bad as folks say. Worst, really. It smells like DEATH in this city. We are filming everything and ultimately i am going to write something, long and meditative, for my next essay book. Digesting this right now is a lot. Heading to Houston later today to talk with survivors there. NOTHING IN LIFE can really prepare you for this sort of destruction and profound neglect of human life, to see it with your own eyes, beyond the television glare. Nothing....

Lastly, more benefits are needed, yes, more truckloads of items, as I am being bombarded by folks all over Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama, for help. As are others on the frontlines of this work. But we also have to begin to think ahead of the curve, about helping the survivors to heal and rebuild their lives, and we need to pay very close attention to what is going to happen to New Orleans, to those communities that have been displaced, and if there will be a place for the least fortunate victims when New Orleans is finally rebuilt. This is going to be a long process and people who care need to stay committed for the long haul.

On my way to shelters in Baton Rouge and Houston....

Blessings to you all,
Kevin Powell

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If you want to help…..
It is recommended that monetary donations be sent to these outlets. It has been confirmed that everyone on this list is REALLY delivering services to folks in need........

BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund
PO Box 803209
Dallas, TX 75240

OR you can make an online donation by going to http://www.blackamericaweb.com/relief
This fund has been set up by nationally syndicated radio personality TOM JOYNER

NAACP Disaster Relief Efforts
The NAACP is setting up command centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as part of its disaster relief efforts. NAACP units across the nation have begun collecting resources that will be placed on trucks and sent directly into the disaster areas. Also, the NAACP has established a disaster relief fund to accept monetary donations to aid in the relief effort. 

Checks can be sent to the NAACP payable to
NAACP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215

Donations can also be made online at www.naacp.org/disaster/contribute.php
FYI, the NAACP, founded in 1909, is America's oldest civil rights organization

www.teamrescueone.com
Set up by native New Orleans rapper Master P and his wife Sonya Miller

You can mail or ship non perishable items to the (confirmed) following locations:

Center for LIFE Outreach Center
121 Saint Landry Street
Lafayette, LA  70506
attn.: Minister Pamela Robinson
337-504-5374
337-296-4919 (cell)
MsPam61@aol.com

Mohammad Mosque 65
2600 Plank Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70805
attn.: Minister Andrew Muhammad
225-923-1400
225-357-3079

Lewis Temple CME Church
272 Medgar Evers Street
Grambling, LA 71245
attn.: Rev. Dr. Ricky Helton
318-247-3793

St. Luke Community United Methodist Church
c/o Hurricane Katrina Victims
5710 East R.L. Thornton Freeway
Dallas, TX 75223
attn.: Pastor Tom Waitschies
214-821-2970

S.H.A.P.E. Community Center
3815 Live Oak
Houston, Texas 77004
attn.: Deloyd Parker
713-521-0641

I was also informed that this woman is acting as an intermediary for her ravaged Mississippi community. They are also gravely in need of clothing, food, toiletries, and first-aid supplies:

Ana L. Payne Allen
521 Weems
Picayune Mississippi 39466

Goods cannot be delivered directly to her door but, Ms. Allen makes trips to the post office every couple of days to pick packages up. She especially needs large size women’s clothing and shoes, as well as any other items/sizes that she can share with her community.mmunity.

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