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Red Cross seeking donations to defray disaster expenses |
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Thursday, 04 September 2008 |
By BRIAN HAWKINS
Starkville Daily News
The Oktibbeha County chapter of the American Red Cross is seeking monetary donations from the public to help defray costs of operating the feeding center for Hurricane Gustav evacuees.
The feeding center began operations Monday to help evacuees minimize expenses while away from home. The local Red Cross chapter is oper
ating the center with local funds, and the center is costing the chapter about $1,000 per day, said Executive Director Becky Wilkes.
“We’re seeking donations to ensure our local chapter resources are not depleted to the point where we can’t respond effectively to another disaster in the area or provide emergency assistance to local families after a fire or weather-related situation,” said Wilkes.
Monetary contributions may be sent to the Oktibbeha County Red Cross chapter at the 501 Business Centre, 501 Highway 12 West, Suite 160, Starkville, MS 39759, or dropped off at the office during regular business hours Monday to Friday.
The chapter office may be reached by calling 323-621.
The hurricane evacuee feeding center remains open today. Breakfast is served from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., lunch is served from noon to 1 p.m., and dinner is served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The center has been feeding between 350 and 400 people a day since it opened, Wilkes said. “Our numbers were down a little bit today because some evacuees have been able to return home, but we’re still seeing a good many folks,” Wilkes said.
Mississippi Gulf Coast evacuees seeking information about when they may return to their homes can visit the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and Mississippi Department of Transportation Web sites at http://www.msema.org or http://www.gomdot.com.
Louisiana residents seeking information about when they may return to their homes may visit the Web site of that state’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness at http://emergency.louisiana.gov.
The Louisiana OSHEP Web site has information about parish and road conditions. All evacuees are encouraged to be cautious when traveling home through storm-ravaged areas.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 05 September 2008 )
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