You can help Food Not Bombs feed the survivors of Gustav

You can help Food Not Bombs feed the survivors of Gustav

Updated: Monday September 1, 2007

PLEASE HELP! As day breaks this momentous Labor Day, Hurricane Gustav threatens people across the Gulf, and is on track to slam Cajun Country and the Houma Nation west of New Orleans, one of the most culturally diverse places in the continent – where levees are largely nonexistent.

Food Not Bombs is planning to provide meals again for survivors. Please organize with your local Food Not Bombs group or your other local organizations. Help us collect food and supplies to help this year’s survivors. The U.S. Government and the American Red Cross were not able to deliver food to the survivors of Katrina, so Food Not Bombs set up kitchens in over 20 cities. Volunteers organized America’s largest food relief effort.

We will be providing help for the survivors of Hurricane Gustav just as we helped after Katrina. The American Red Cross, state emergency agencies, and FEMA asked everyone to call our toll free number for food relief. This is an emergency! When the storm passes through the gulf we will provide hot meals on a daily basis. We need volunteers, tools and food to help the people displaced by Hurricane Gustav. We need people to help us repair homes and cook meals for people surviving the hurricane. We also have a meeting place in New Orleans: the Common Grounds 9th Ward Center off the Claiborne Ave exit on I-10 at the corner of N. Claiborne and Pauline in the 9th Ward.

Read more at www.plenty.org

Travel along with Free Speech TV as they cover our grassroots effort

The American Red Cross will be sending Gustav survivors to Food Not Bombs. After Katrina we had many calls from people who tell us that the Red Cross gave them our toll free number. We have been able to help most of the people directed our way. You can help Food Not Bombs support the Hurricane Gustav survivors by making a donation.

Food Not Bombs groups all across the southern United States are feeding families displaced by Gustav. Help us get food and supplies past FEMA. We need clothes, cooking equipment, food, cooks and money to provide for thousands of hungry homeless people. We have no overhead, rent or salaries so every donation goes directly to helping people. Many affected by Hurricane Gustav are familiar with Food Not Bombs because we have been sharing free food in communities through the area for many years. Because we are independent we can take food and supplies to areas where no other agency can reach.

This disaster may last another year or more so we intend to continue setting up Food Not Bombs field kitchens throughout the region. Food Not Bombs is encouraging the refugees to participate in cooking, serving and collecting the food. Their participation may be one of the most therapeutic things we can provide. Tens of thousands of survivors were kicked out of their motel rooms. We believe that many of these people will be living outside homeless. Even if you can’t go to the disaster area we need lots of help in your community. The number of people we need to feed is growing all across America as people leave Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama looking for work and housing. We are sharing food every day in your community and all around the Gulf. Please call to see how you can help.

There are some things you can do that can help us respond effectively to this disaster.

    1. Organize a meeting this week – calling, emailing and posting flyers about the need for people to help and the day, time and location of the meeting.

    2. At the meeting organize groups to call for food donations, another group to call for propane stoves, tanks of gas, tables and cooking equipment. Ask another group to get more volunteers.

    3. Choose a time date and location of where your vehicles will gather to take the trip to the disaster area.

    4. Collect 25 and 50 pound bags of rice, beans, 25 and 50-pound bags of rice, beans, black-eyed peas, lentils and any other large amounts of dry goods, pasta or non perishable food. We can also use propane stoves, kitchen equipment, toothpaste, soap, shampoo and other personal items.

    5. Stay in touch by emailing menu@foodnotbombs.net or calling 1-800-884-1136.

                             Volunteer to feed the hungry and help the survivors of Hurricane
               Gustav by contacting your local Food Not Bombs group or emailing us at:
                                                  menu@foodnotbombs.net