Posted on 09/04/2005 7:41:08 AM PDT by snowsislander
Houma, La. – The Salvation Army of Houma, La., has been providing three meals a day to refugees seeking shelter at the Houma Civic Center, but without the local citizens, it would not have been possible.
They began arriving the day after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. “The Salvation Army assisted approximately 450 people seeking shelter from New Orleans,” said Liz Daigneault, Service Center Director for The Salvation Army. “We had no food, no ice, no water.” She put out a plea to the local media and received the items needed to provide meals to those seeking shelter. “I was crying because I couldn’t figure out how I was going to feed these people. I left for a few hours and when I came back, the freezer was full.”
The Salvation Army served more than 1,300 meals in the first day of the evacuation. Daigneault called her parents for assistance, and 17 of her family members arrived to volunteer. Now there are approximately 1,200 people in the shelter with seven staff members and 100 volunteers working at all times.
“This whole community showed up and stepped up to the plate. Everyone is donating shrimp, steaks, chicken - everything. Only in South Louisiana do you get boiled shrimp donated to a shelter,” she said laughing. “Everything has been pouring in. Friday, we had two truckloads of produce donated. Today, we expect three truckloads loaded with watermelon, cantaloupe, onions, bread, sour cream, cream cheese and all kinds of stuff. Everyone here has been wonderful.”
Daigneault is grateful for the generosity of the citizens of Houma and for the use of the Civic Center as a shelter. “There are little kids holding up signs that say ‘I Love You, Houma,’” she said. “I am just so proud of where I’m from.”
The Salvation Army is a national first responder in times of disaster. People from all over the country have been showing their support in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. If you would like to make a contribution to The Salvation Army, please log onto www.salvationarmyusa.org , call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or visit your local Wal Mart or Sam’s club to make a donation. A $100 donation will feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and a clean-up kit containing a mop, broom and cleaning supplies.
About The Salvation Army: The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to http://www.salvationarmyusa.org.
And not a single doctor attacked or child raped and murdered.
Imagine that...people helping people.
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