FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 2, 2005
CONTACT: Scott
VanDeman (850) 414-2974
Hurricane Volunteers:
Donate and Serve Wisely to Help Hurricane Victims
See
www.volunteerflorida.org for Details or Call(800) FL
HELP 1, that's (800) 354-3571
An informed approach to Hurricane
Donations and Volunteer
Service maximizes the value of your efforts.
STATE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, TALLAHASSEE
– As residents in South Florida and all along the Gulf
Coast begin recovering and rebuilding from Hurricane
Katrina, Volunteer Florida encourages everyone to
contribute wisely toward recovery efforts. Consider the
following before you donate goods, money, or your time.
Financial Contributions are Preferred: Cash
donations help to avoid the labor and expense of
sorting, packing, transporting and distributing donated
goods, and voluntary relief agencies can use cash to
meet hurricane victims’ specific needs more quickly.
Donate through an Experienced Disaster Relief
Organization: Relief agencies prefer the versatility
of cash donations; however, some have the infrastructure
in place to store and distribute donated goods. To
prevent waste, donations of goods should be made only to
agencies that have requested specific items.
Confirm the Need Before Collecting: Donors
should be wary of anyone who claims that “everything is
needed.” Many groups have been disappointed that their
efforts and the goods they collected were not
appreciated. A community hit by disaster, however, does
not have the time, manpower or money to dispose of
unneeded donations. Get precise information and confirm
the need before collecting any donated goods.
Volunteer Wisely to Help Others: In a
community struggling to respond to and recover from a
disaster, an influx of unexpected or unneeded volunteers
and donations can make the process even more difficult.
Before traveling to the disaster area to help, learn
where and when your skills will be needed. Discuss with
volunteer organizers how your needs for food, water and
shelter will be met while you are volunteering.
Visit Volunteer Florida for links to disaster
relief organizations: The Governor’s Commission on
Volunteerism and Community Service, Volunteer Florida,
offers a comprehensive directory of links to disaster
relief organizations that will be assisting hurricane
victims in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Volunteer
Florida’s Web site is located at
volunteerflorida.org.
The Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and
Community Service was established in 1994 by the Florida
Legislature to administer grants under the National and
Community Service Trust Act of 1993. The Commission
grants funds to Florida AmeriCorps and National Service
programs; encourages volunteerism for everyone from
youths to seniors to people with disabilities; promotes
volunteerism in emergency management and preparedness;
and helps to strengthen and expand Volunteer Centers in
Florida.
# # #
