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You're actually right. I apologize for what I said. It was pretty condescending and pretty ty. Hopefully people will give as much as they can, and whatever they give is great.
i was only referring to manny's trendy volunteers bull . just because people can't volunteer every single day or just happened to have had the time this weekend(i.e. spurfect) and may not be able to later or during the week that shouldn't diminish what they have done.
You're actually right. I apologize for what I said. It was pretty condescending and pretty ty. Hopefully people will give as much as they can, and whatever they give is great.
Clandestino, I didn't lump you in that group because of your comments to Manny - just your at ude in general.
By the way, look at all the stuff the Houston Rockets are doing ... pretty impressive efforts.
http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Hous...50235-822.html
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
SA Food Bank Update
This is from the www.SAFOODBANK.org. They need volunteers at the Food Bank to sort donations from 9am-9pm every day this week except for Saturday. Just show up or call to schedule at 337-3663. This is an excellent opportunity to make a difference. - JB
San Antonio Food Bank partnering with National Furniture
and IHOP locations to accept food donations for Hurricane Katrina relief
All National Furniture locations in San Antonio will accept non-perishable food items donated for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The stores are located at:
14068 Nacogdoches
18450 Blanco Road
6727 NW Loop 410
8615 Marbach Road
2545 SW Military
8680 Fourwinds Drive
In addition, a total of 13 International House of Pancakes (IHOP) locations will also accept non-perishable food items. These locations are:
2777 N. Hwy. 123 Bypass (Seguin, TX)
1500 SW Loop 410
11613 Bandera Road
8107 Agora Parkway
2634 SW Military Drive
12780 IH-10 W
4818 Walzem Road
1540 N. Loop 1604 E.
5920 Bandera Road
3820 Broadway
9210 Wurzbach
739 Hot Wells Blvd.
1227 NE Loop 410
People can also drop off relief supplies at Sam Ash Music, 25 NE Loop 410 at McCullough, San Antonio, TX 78216. Their hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
What Food Items are Needed Most ...
Learn more about the continuing events....
Most Needed Food Items for Hurricane Relief victims
"Lunchable"-type Snacks and Meals
“Pop Top” Food Items
MRE's (military-style Meals Ready To Eat)
Paper goods: Plates, Cups, Diapers, Tissue items
Cleaning supplies: Bleach, Top Job, Mr. Clean type products
Water: Bottled drinking water. (NO glass containers)
Personal Hygiene Items
Canned Pasta with Sauce
Canned Vegetables
Baby Formula
Ensure in cans
Canned Stews & Soups
Canned Luncheon Meats
Chili
Peanut Butter
Cereal
Tuna
Beans
Rice
Macaroni and Cheese
Full Meals in a Can/Box
posted by Joe Barfield @ 7:21 PM 0 comments
HOW and WHERE to VOLUNTEER
Red Cross - Go to the West Gate of Joe Freeman Coliseum past the security gate and next to the horse barn (!) every day from 8am-7pm. Just go, don't call. They are waiting for you. You can sign up for shifts at various San Antonio shelters and facilities. The most needed skills are:
* Phone bank help
* Data Entry
* Medical Trades
* Commercial Drivers License
* Equipment Operators (forklifts, etc.)
* Shelter Management
* Certified Teachers
* Certified Child Care
* Advanced Computer skills for networks and form letters
Salvation Army- Go to the Kelly USA Buildings 1536 and 171 at 809 Davy Crockett Rd (which is really on Sam Houston Rd. - follow the signs once you get on Kelly). They need your help sorting donations in the warehouse from 8am to 8pm. Other volunteers are needed including picking up donations, call Kathy Thompkins at 352-2000.
The Food Bank is receiving a tremendous quan y of food. They need help sorting it. You can volunteer this week from 9am-9pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 43 11 Director Dr. near WW White and I-10. To learn next week's schedule, feel free to call 337-3663.
To volunteer for the United Way, call 352- 7099. They will get your info and call you back in 2-4 days. They won't put you to work right away, but things will be organized when they get to you!
The Express News Volunteer list 9/06
posted by Joe Barfield @ 7:11 PM 0 comments
What can you do for the PETS?
The Humane Society/SPCA of Bexar County is working alongside the Red Cross as evacuees arrive to process and take in pets whose owners are going into a shelter (pets are not allowed in the shelter, so the pets are coming to the Humane Society and other area animal shelters). They are also accepting donations of dog & cat food, litter, crates (especially large crates), toys and other items for both the animals that will stay in foster care here in San Antonio and, more importantly, for those pets that were left behind in New Orleans (some evacuees were told they could not bring their pets and were forced to abandon them).
If you wish to donate any of these items, do so at the Humane Society/SPCA of Bexar County, located at 4804 Fredericksburg Road, one block outside Loop 410 on the right-hand side.
posted by Joe Barfield @ 3:03 PM 0 comments
Donate Blood
Blood is in demand. To donate, please go to the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center at 6211 IH- 10 W. Click for a list of the mobile blood drives around San Antonio.
posted by Joe Barfield @ 3:03 PM 0 comments
WHERE to Donate FOOD & TOILETRIES and non-clothing items
HEB is no longer collecting food for the SA Food Bank, but you can donate cash to the Red Cross at the cash register.
The Salvation Army is accepting the key items listed above at Kelly USA building number 1536 at 809 Davy Crockett. That's just south of Hwy 90 on 36th St. Take the 36th Street exit from Hwy 90 and head south onto Kelly USA. You can follow the signs there to turn left onto Sam Houston Rd. Building 1536 is on the right. The hours are 8am - 8pm.
You can donate food items directly to the SA Food Bank at 4311 Director Dr. which is on the SE side of San Antonio near WW White.
Sam Ash Music has a collection point for the SA Food Bank at 25 NE Loop 410 at McCullough.
National Furniture Warehouse has on-going collections for the SA Food Bank at their 5 locations including:
# 14068 Nacogdoches Rd., 656-5965
# 18450 Blanco Rd., 496-2200
# 6727 NW Loop 410 near Bandera Rd., 520- 1860
# 8615 Marbach Rd., 575-7755
# 2545 SW Military, 923-3131
Goodwill turns over food donations to the SA Food Bank.
posted by Joe Barfield @ 3:00 PM 0 comments
WHERE to Donate Stuff in general
Donate your food, bedding, clothing and other items at a local level to churches, schools and other organizations. Or at remote collection facilities for the various agencies if possible.
I spoke to each agency today and they report that:
The San Antonio Food Bank wants Food and Toiletries as listed above. No clothes. No blankets.
The Salvation Army wants food, toiletries, and blankets, but no more clothes for the next week.
Goodwill will accept clothing and blankets and will accept your food & toiletry donations for the Food Bank.
So take clothing to Goodwill or smaller local agencies, but not the Salvation Army (for now). Or hang on to it for a moment.
posted by Joe Barfield @ 2:59 PM 0 comments
WHAT to donate
Cash is king. Before you hit the stores, consider donating your dinero directly to the Red Cross or Salvation Army or to the Food Bank. They can negotiate a better deal by the trailer load, plus they won't have to sort it. Donation links are in the far right column.
The Salvation Army (353-2000) is requesting, in order of importance as of 9/6:
* Large Canned Food Items
* Bottled Water
* Sports Drinks like Gatorade
* Personal Hygiene Products
* Formula
* Diapers
* No clothes or anything else for now.
The San Antonio Food Bank (337-3663) is specifically requesting as of 9/6 in order of importance:
* paper goods, plates, cups
* Diapers & Baby Wipes
* Tissue
* cleaning supplies
* water (no glass)
* single-serving snacks
* peanut butter
* heat-and-eat foods (chili, stew, canned pasta with sauce)
* baby formula
* MREs (Meals Ready to Eat)
* Ensure
Many other items will come in useful, but these items are particularly useful right now. People will absolutely need chairs and lamps and small appliances as families get placed in homes. Set them aside until we are past this phase of the relocating or donate them to community organizations specifically handling the local housing services.
Agencies cannot accept:
# Home-canned or Homemade Goods
# Rusty or Unlabeled Cans
# Alcoholic Beverages, Mixes or Soda
# Opened or Used Items
# Glass Containers (they may break)
# Baby Food in Jars
# Over-The-Counter or Prescription Drugs
# Food After or Very Close to its Expiration Date
posted by Joe Barfield @ 2:56 PM 0 comments
KatrinaSanAntonio.Blogspot.com goes live
San Antonio is home to thousands of new guests from Louisiana. They are spread among four major shelters and in private and community shelters around town. I found it difficult to deliver the items we recently collected, so I started a KatrinaSanantonio Blog to help figure out how to volunteer, what to collect, and where to take donations.
The reality is that San Antonio's relief efforts are shifting into the second phase. We are still receiving new survivors, but the massive effort to place and stabilize them is complete. The chaos is subsiding so your efforts to donate or volunteer should become more deliberate.
If I can offer one tip, it is to remain patient and understanding. So much is needed for the long haul, but not every facility is prepared to accept all items, particularly clothing right now. There are emails floating around that say "Just go to the shelters!" - Don't. The infrastructure has caught up, so please follow the guidelines for donating and volunteering below. If you have any questions, call the agencies. They can take your calls better now.
Whenever possible, pool your efforts at a community level. Volunteer with your church, work or school or have a collection drive in your community and then take the sorted and labeled goods to the SA Food Bank, or the Salvation Army, as appropriate.
Keep me posted on your efforts, frustrations and triumphs!
Take care of yourself!Joe Barfield
posted by Joe Barfield @ 2:23 PM 0 comments
went to three animal shelters this weekend. the humane society and animal defense league only had a few hurricane dogs up for adoption. all the rest were being kept there bc their owners were in shelters and couldn't have them...
anyway, i also went down to the city pound across from the zoo... those are the dogs that need saving... dogs aren't killed at the humane society or adl, but they are at the pound... we rescued a dog. now our other dog is J E A L O U S !
I'll be at Kelly USA tonight helping with the computer/phone banks/networking rooms.
If anyone is looking for ways to help, I really suggest following katrinasanantonio.blogspot.com
Plus... and not to be gross... but these women sat in the New Orleans heat for days in the same bras. We're talking major stinkage and heat rash. Yes, I completely understand the need for a clean bra just to feel human.ducks, you are married and have reproduced, so you can't possibly be 12.
Women, even those from New Orleans, wear bras. And I'm no expert on the culture of Louisianna, but I'm pretty sure they have monthly cycles and shave their legs also. So I'd be willing to bet they'd need the essentials to take care of that with, as well.
It's easy to take for granted basic hygiene....and that includes all the *icky* girl-stuff.
Well over here in Houston.. they have redefinied the volunteer shifts because of the shortage of volunteers. this has helped me out a GREAT deal because their original shift hours were inconvienent to my regular job hours. The shifts before were 8 hour shifts, one starting at 6am-2pm, then 2pm-10pm, then 10pm-6am. Not really possible for someone who has a fulltime job. Now they no longer have any set hours you have to be there. You can go at ANY time starting at 5:30 in the morning, until 11pm. You have to commit to at least four hours. That's awesome because I can now go before, or after work, or both.
I just got back from volunteering again, but this time I won't have a long post with pics because it was not anything exciting this time. I got assigned to sitting at the entrance to the cafeteria and not let people out of there with food. They are not allowed to take food or drinks out into the cot area. So yeah, it was kinda boring and I had to be the mean lady not letting people take food out. Alot of people tried sneaking food out, and some people would get mad. Two little girls came to talk to me and I "hired" them to work with me, they loved it. They helped me stop people that had food and were there with me almost the entire time (4 1/2 hours). The only time I could leave my post is if someone wanted to take food out for a specific reason (they were going outside, they were taking it to an elderly or disabled person, etc) I would have to escort them to where ever they were going. So those times that I could leave I took opportunities to talk to people and stuff. I had a few nice moments. Like the time I was going back to my post, this one guy that I had seen on Monday and who had smiled at me and said hi, told two other guys "this lady right here, is pimping" and he gave me a high five. I asked him "Pimping? What does that mean?" and with a big smile on his face he said "you don't wanna know" and he kept walking. haha. really, what does that mean? anyway, I got to play with a few kids as well again. One guy sat down for a long time with me and talked to me. Then later another guy did (a clean up volunteer). So that's about it. I really love to work the floor like I did the past two days, because I get to interact with people alot more..but oh well. we'll see what tomorrow brings
Awesome Spurfect.
I went out tonight for the last few hours that computer/phone bank center was up to provide computer/phone support. Basically, we just act like people in a help desk and make sure everything works as well as providing the people there with help on the computers.
I had a mixed bag of emotions tonight. I did help one lady find her brother through the online databases! The look on her face was priceless. It's very easy to get overcome by all of the emotion.
But the flipside was the many people that I helped but didn't find people. Almost every person besides the one was left with their questions unanswered. And of course you wonder how many have actually lost the people they love and will never find them and you wonder how many will in due time come across the people they are searching for. So many dejected faces tonight.
The mood in the shelter is much better now. I rode the bus down there, and as we got closer to Kelly USA a bunch of evacuees got on. I swear it got to be like a scene straight out of babershop with an older man in there who looked and souned eerilly like Cedric's character. Half the bus was rolling they were laughing so hard.
I think I'm going back tomorrow, but I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing. They are having shortages already here as well.
Oh yeah, and I probably won't be posting any more pictures. They have a sign as you enter about a no camera rule.
Is Kelly USA one building, a compound, or is it the entire area that was Kelly AFB?
I haven't lived in SA in 8 years and I've only just now heard of Kelly USA.
Kelly USA is some of the old base. I believe much of the old base was annexed into Lackland.
The evacuees are housed in 2 main buildings at Kelly USA. I only know building 171 and it is HUGE. 35,000 sq feet is the figure I heard today. You walk forever to get from one end to the other.
Manny, we do have a computer/phone center here as well for people to look for missing loved ones. I have not had the opportunity to do that yet but maybe sometime I will. I have thought about it and I also wonder how it's going to be if I can't help people find their missing loved ones. That must be tough when you can't
i got the information today that we have about 23,600 evacuees here in the Reliant Complex (Reliant Arena, Reliant Center and the Astrodome). There are about 17,500 in the Astrodome!! That is the only place I have not worked yet. I have worked Reliant Arena before, which has more than Reliant Center.. and that place was pretty full and disorganized. I do want to work the Astrodome but at the same time, I love Reliant Center (there are about 2,500-3,000 there) and already have people there that I have met and got to know.
but dang..17,500 in the dome.. that must be crazy.
If I'm not mistaken Spurfect, they released new numbers today that were much lower than that. I'll try to find them.
let me know. I got these numbers "as of 8:25pm, 9/07/05"
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercu...s/12584678.htm
Here in SA we're lower as well:Leonard said Wednesday that officials were finally able to get an accurate count of the refugees staying in Houston shelters, with a total of 8,096 among four shelters including the Astrodome. That number is down by quite a bit from the estimate from the day before, a reflection of doing an actual bed count.
In San Antonio, the refugee population in shelters has been decreasing by about 1,000 per day since Sept. 2 when the refugees began to arrive, said Art Hall, San Antonio councilman and lead relief liaison there. The total is down to about 5,200 from a high of between 13,000 and 14,000.
I cannot view that link without registering.. but anyway, who is this Leonard person? I HIGHLY doubt that number.. there has to be at least 8,000 in the Astrodome alone. no way it's 8,096 in total. or my eyes are playing tricks on me..
nevermind Manny, I think you're right:
I have not gone into the Astrodome since Mon. so I guess they got rid of alot since thenAs of Wednesday morning, approximately 8,000 evacuees remained at the Astrodome, Reliant Center, Reliant Arena and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
An official headcount showed 2,930 evacuees remained at the Dome, 1,800 were at Reliant Arena, 2,000 were in Reliant Center and 1,366 remained at the convention center for a total of 8,096 evacuees.
Weird, when I click on the link I have to register too yet I saw the article just fine without registration a few minutes ago.
I have a cold too. I think I caught it this weekend, being around so many people in closed quarters.Jim, if you were here right now, I"d give you a big kiss!
I have a cold and it's a know fact that the only way to get rid of it is to pass it on to someone else.
Either that, or it is sympathy symptoms for you darlin.
I've got the same bug too. I got it from my kids (stinking carriers) and have felt like hammered dog all week.
For the folks that are leaving the shelters in San Antonio, anyone know if FEMA has found them apartments or the like? Just curious where they're going to.
Many of them are going with relatives in other parts of the country or nearby. FEMA was going to distrubte debit cards to each adult with 2k on them today however.
I went again today to volunteer and now they hired me!! Before it had all been volunteer work of course with no pay, and I was already getting worried because I've been taking time off from my regular job knowing I cant really afford it. well today I got hired at Red Cross!!! I will be helping process people to get their debit cards. data entry stuff. $11 an hour starting today. And more if I work extra of course. YIPPEEEE!!!
also, today we did start to give the debit cards and it was CHAOS. that place is SO disorganized. I mean we had 9,000 all standing in line wanting to get their cards today. Impossible. I had to go to the end of the line and start trying to coax people into leaving and coming back tomorrow. not fun I tell ya.
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