(Latest news on top, updated frequently)
Week of June 5, 2006
As we get more clever at finding free stuff, we're finding more and more recycled construction supplies and tools for the gulf. Our efforts to support the gulf remain strong. Even so, for the next couple weeks, our focus seems to be on Lowell. There are still families in Lowell/Lawrence that are living with the clothes on their backs. Looking forward, if this recycled construction supply place in Dorchester (see below) has more than a load or two for us, we'll need help fund raising again. I don't think it'll be that hard. The Globe's probably ready to do a story on us again.
Details below:
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FAIRFOODS PARTNERSHIP
FairFoods is an organization that's been supplying donated foods and recycled construction supplies to inner city projects for decades. They collect the goods at their warehouse in Dorchest MA. Occasionally, they end up with more than they can use at any particular time, so they are going to divert stuff to the gulf using the transportation mechanism that we set up with Barrett Industries and UPS Freight (Overnite). United Way of Tri-County made this possible. So companies like Sherwin Williams that ends up with pallets and pallets of perfectly usable, but perhaps not-the-exact-color gallons of paint, have a way to get this paint to the gulf.
We spent a couple solid hours working at the Lowell Wish Project's (www.lowellwishproject.org) warehouse. This place is incredible. Seriously. It's all that you'd hope that a relief operation would be. We were getting faxes of orders for basic supplies in from a variety of community organizations...a family's name and a list of things they need, including clothes sizes etc. We bagged up the "orders" with mostly brand new clothes that the warehouse has to offer and families were picking them up. It's a wonderful place to work.
If you want to work there, contact them directly. If you want to be on their mailing list so you'll know when they are open, go for it. I'll be forwarding information about their regular hours when I figure out what they are, and forwarding information about when we'll have Citizen Action Team folks going up there.
The early part of this week, we'll be spending time collecting things for the gulf. I might be able to go on Friday again. Probably 1-3 this time. Anyone interested?
Also, she really needs a few people to help next Saturday. I might be able to free up some time. We'll see. I have to get down to Dorchester to arrange for some deliveries of recycled construction supplies.
* RECYCLED CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES FOR THE GULF Keep an eye out for used construction stuff and power tools that you think the gulf could use, because this is becoming an incredible resource for the gulf. Carpenters, contractors, they may all have a crate of tools that they don't need. Yay to Ann Brainard (Wenham) who uncovered a group of people that have been collecting used construction supplies for the inner city. They've got tons and want to divert some to the gulf. AND they have trucks! Yippee! So we're going down there "to go shopping" in a sense and figure out what the gulf can take, and load it up for delivery to Methuen, and ultimately to the gulf. I think we have enough people for that, unless you're in the areas anyway. * USED CABINETS FOR THE GULF Christy found more gently used cabinets for us to ship, so Tom and Christy spent some time this past week cutting those up and delivering to the warehouse. And she found someone that has a pile of brand new toilets and plumbing junk that her dad was going to use to build some office complex, but not longer is going to. So if anyone feels like getting dirty with us, we'll be cleaning off the old barn dirt and packing those up this week.Did I tell you that we're speaking at UMass about the database? June 17th. A great collaborative network of people that use technology to help build non-profits and community groups. They help you learn how to make your own database. The "Organizer's Collaborative". www.oc-tech.org Look for the details about the technology conference. Pretty cool. They're going to be honoring us for our "innovative use of technology" to organize relief operations. How 'bout that? Mel King's coming out to give us the award!
Boston's Progressive Talk ...AM 1200 and AM 1430 broadcast a piece about us again. And it'll be on the website soon enough for people to listen to.
And, as always, if you want to help serve the underserved, let us know what you want to do! And we'll put you to work as soon as you're available!
12/13 New Way To Donate - You can now write tax-deductible checks through the United Way and 100% of your dontation will go to purchasing fuel. See our donations page.
12/8 Our Current Donations Drive is fully up to speed and we expect to fill another truck within a week. We have added a new warehouse in Methuen Massachusetts to our distribution network. We have additional drop sites, but we need more, so please consider organizing your friends/neighbors. See the "Drop Off Locations" button to the left for those locations. We have negotiated special deals with several stores so that donors can buy at a discount. The stores are listed in the Drop Off Locations page, too.
12/8 Our 6th truck left todayIt's destined for Kiln Mississippi and to New Orleans (two stops). It's loaded with coats and sweaters and bedding and toys (for gifts).
11/29 The Gift Box Drive has been kicked off! See the above drop site locations. We are collecting a specific list of items (see "What does the Gulf Need?") this time, with a focus on coats and blankets. The number of drop site locations is growing as schools, scout troops, churches and towns continue to sign up. Some of these locations are for townspeople only, so if you can't find a drop site near you, please contact us! We may have one, but can't put it on the web.
11/22 Our fifth truck is on it's way to St Tammany Parish (east of New Orleans, just north of Slidell). Feed the Children was kind enough to take this load, which included the last of the textbooks, as well as the first of the coats from the "Coats for the Coast" drive. Even though the coat drive had just started Christy and Beverly were responsive enough to get van loads of coats down to the warehouse in time to meet the truck. Yay!
Some kids are going to be warmer tomorrow because of their efforts
11/22 We are continuing our Schools Drive to include musical instruments, art supplies, and school supplies. There are still quite a few schools that we have not reached yet. Please call for details.
11/22 We are kicking off our "Holiday Boxes" drive for holiday things.
See What does the Gulf Need for details. In addition to that list, we'll be including new toys, festive food, wrapping paper, and holiday decorations and the like. If you would like to organize a drive in your community, please contact Terra at 978 266 2778 for instructions.
11/22 The Shelter Needs database is looking really good. Please take a look. If you want to help with it, please contact Terra at 978 266 2778.
We've gotten 40,000 hits in the one month since the database was launched.
We now have almost 400 hurricane relief facilities listed in the database which anyone can use! It lists the needs and availabilities (what locals can go get) for many of the facilities.
10/29 The TextBook Drive is over Thank you to all the schools in Massachusetts for their hard work in gathering and packing books! You've made a HUGE difference in the lives of these schools. Most of the buildings are nothing but piles of rubble and the value of your efforts to equip these schools with books, school supplies and school furniture can not be underestimated!
10/29 We are kicking off the "Coats for the Coast" drive for coats/jackets/sweaters and sleeping bags. If you would like to organize a drive in your community, please contact Terra at 978 266 2778 for instructions.
10/29 We are continuing our book drive, but moving it into second priority behind the "Coats for the Coast" drive.. If you would like to continue to collect books and/or school supplies please click here.
10/29 If you want to donate, please contact us for drop site locations and times.
10/12: We are gathering information about what shelters need...as well as
where the free hot meals are, where the free showers are, free medical
clinics, etc. This information is very useful to the people
on the ground, who spend a great deal of time every day trying to
figure out where to get things. The resource dbase was an outgrowth of
our Shelter Needs Dbase which provides "real time" information about
what shelters need what, so that people can donate directly to the
shelter. We realized pretty quickly that as shelters started to close
rapidly, that the folks on the ground needed more help with logistics
than we realized. Now, our phone callers can provide info TO the
gulfcoast, as well as to donors that want to send things/money.
10/12: TRUCK DELIVERIES: We've got a fourth truck
worth of stuff.
The warehouse has requested that we hold deliveries until we ship the
fourth truck. The teamsters are trying to take most of it this week and are
expected to leave on Sunday. We will be doing another truck, it seems, so we'll
need some more donations. We have just enough, in hand, to pay for this third
truck. There are donations that are being mailed, so we're well on our way to
the fourth truck. Keep it coming! Fortunately, the warehouse personnel...bless
their hearts...have been loading and palletizing the donations...making the
whole operation very smooth!
10/12: SCHOOL AND HOUSEHOLD GOODS GATHERERS: Continue Gathering Books/ School Supplies and things from the "needs" list. We will be doing a fourth truck. It looks like it will leave
early next week. No clothes, still, please. We are extending the school
drive to include musical instruments and arts/crafts. Contact Christy
Barbee at 978 287 6008 for more information.
10/12: Most of the Red Cross shelters are closed. They
say, "the emergency is over." When asked why they closed, the shelters
say, "because we were told to." If you want to donate tents, tarps or
any camping gear. There are thousands of people living in parking lots
and under trees.
10/12: Have an SUV, truck, or mini-van? We need help gathering
small boxes of books from schools and driving them to the warehouse. It's fun!
When you get your hands on those boxes, knowing that someone in great need will
open them, it makes you feel good all over!
10/12: Truck Loaders: The focus in on local
deliveries. Call Christy at 978- 287-6008 if you have some time to help
load/transport boxes. If you can lift a copier box full of paper, come
along! It's a lot of fun! And you don't have to go to the gym that day!
10/5: The Third Truck: It's
arrived, unloaded, and being sorted through! Thanks to Local 25
Teamsters! The Gulfport Association of Churches are going to get the
books to outlying areas, but they are stored at a Gulfport school in
the meantime. The Teamsters tell us that they saw total devastation.
Most of the buildings are in piles of rubble.
10/5: The Red Cross shelters are closing. Most have closed already. They say, "the emergency is over." We don't
believe that Americans living in tents or on couches by the thousands
indicates that the emergency is over. When asked why they closed, the
shelters say, "because we were told to."
10/4: Continue Gathering Books/ School
Supplies and things from the "needs" list. We will be doing a
fourth truck. It looks like it will leave early next week. No
clothes, please.
10/4: Have an SUV or mini-van? We need help
gathering small boxes of books from schools and driving them to the warehouse.
It's fun! When you get your hands on those boxes, knowing that someone in
great need will open them, it makes you feel good all over!
10/4: Truck Loaders: The focus in on local
deliveries. Call Christy at
978 287 6008 if you have some time to help load/transport boxes.
10/4: Thank you to the warehouse! Lately,
the people working in the warehouse (thank you Roy, Keith, and Harvey!) have
palletized boxes, so they don't need us to pack it at the warehouse! I know
that makes some of us sad...like me, because I need the exercise!
And thank you! all the great book packers. The warehouse
says that they took all the really well packed books and made a couple of
bottom pallets out of them so that they can be stacked and there's more room
for other things!
10/4: Trucks: We can still use
another truck to help with delivering book donations to the warehouse.
10/4: Shelter Need Dbase:
10/4: Money: We have enough for a
fourth truck! Yippee! We've asked the warehouse, if we can start gathering
furniture, so we'll see if we want to do a fifth truck in addition to
working on drop shipping bulk donations. So keep the money coming!
10/4: Corporate Donors : If you
want to help us find the corporate donations coordinators at these
large companies, please call Terra directly at 978 266 2778. We will
have a website with real time regional and shelter leve needs data so
that the corporations can channel their needs to the places that need
it the most. We need helping finding the people in the corporations
that are interested in this dbase.
Return to top
9/30: Book/Supplies, Donation Drives :
The Teamsters have found us a truck!
So the third truck is leaving on Sunday from the warehouse.
9/30: Continue Gathering Books/
School Supplies and things from the "needs" list. We will be doing
a fourth truck. It looks like it will leave next weekened. Have an SUV or
mini-van? We need help gathering small boxes of books from schools and driving
them to the warehouse. It's fun! When you get your hands on those boxes, knowing
that someone in great need will open them, it makes you feel good all over!
9/30: Truck LoadersThe
good news is that the people working in the warehouse (thank you Roy,
Keith, and Harvey!) have palletized all of the boxes, so they
don't need us to pack it! I know that makes some of us sad...like me,
because I need the exercise! But it certainly has mad it easy on the
rest of everyone...so thank you! the warehouse!
And thank you! all the great book packers.
the warehouse says that they took all the really well packed books and made
a couple of bottom pallets out of them so that they can be stacked and
there's more room for other things!
9/30: Truck Loaders:
If you want to help load trucks, and aren't already on our list, please
let us know
9/30: Vans, Mini-vans, SUVs:
We need a few smaller vehicles to help with delivering smaller numbers
of boxes to the warehouse.
9/30: Trucks: We
can still use another truck to help with delivering book donations to
the warehouse.
9/30: Going to the Gulf? We are now connected into construction crews on the gulf and can find
work for people that want to go down to the gulf to help with cleanup
and rebuilding. There's a "library" like operation where construction
tools can be borrowed and brought back, in Gulfport. We've found a
couple of organizations that are rebuilding and need help. And, of
course, the shelters need help. There's more housing available now, so
come on down!
9/30: Phone Work
The shelter needs database survey has been kicked off! We have an
online tool to enter the data, which will become public in a few days.
If you want to help talk to shelters, we need a couple more people to
make calls for a half hour or so a day. It's a lot of fun, and very
rewarding to talk to these folks. They are VERY appreciative of all
that we're doing. And you get to hear about it first hand!
9/30: Web Surfing:
We still need someone to help with websurfing to find shelters. It will
take a good surfer about an hour or two.
9/30: Money We
almost have enough for a fourth truck! Yippee! We've asked the warehouse,
if we can start gathering furniture, so we'll see if we want to do a
fifth truck in addition to working on drop shipping bulk donations.
So keep the money coming!
9/30: Corporate Donors :
If you want to help us find the corporate donations coordinators at
these large companies, please call Terra directly at 978 266 2778. We
will have a website with real time regional and shelter leve needs data
so that the corporations can channel their needs to the places that
need it the most. We need helping finding the people in the
corporations that are interested in this dbase.
Return to top
9/26: BOOK/SUPPLIES DONATIONS DRIVE: The third truck
still hasn't left.
The good news is that the people working in the warehouse (thank you
Roy, Keith, and Harvey!) have palletized most of the boxes, so it's an
easy pack once we get a truck. Also, the warehouse says it's still OK to
bring properly boxed items to the warehouse to await shipment to the
gulf. That means that we can continue the book drive! Contact us if you
work with a school system and want to participate.
9/26: GOING TO THE GULF? We are now connected into
construction crews on the gulf and can find work for people that want
to go down to the gulf to help with cleanup and rebuilding.
9/26: PHONE WORK: The shelter needs database is
starting to come together. If you want to help talk to shelters, we
need a couple more people to make calls for a half hour or so a day.
It's a lot of fun, and very rewarding to talk to these folks. They are
VERY appreciative of all that we're doing. And you get to hear about it
first hand!
9/26: WEBSURFING: We still need someone to help with
websurfing to find shelters. It will take a good surfer about an hour
or two.
9/26: TRUCK LOADERS: We can still use another truck to
help with delivering book donations to the warehouse.
9/26: TRUCKS: If you want to help load trucks, and
aren't already on our list, please let us know.
9/26: Money: We still need a couple hundred bucks to
pay for the fourth truck...