Volunteers are doing more

It’s no longer front-page news, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina continues to haunt people here in Spokane.

“What can I do?” Fran Hammond asked herself every day as her mind lingered on the image of homeless, desperate people.

“You donate your money, then go about with your business. You figure, you’ve done what you can do,” she said. “But here I am, sitting in my comfortable home. I know I should do more.”

This week, Hammond and others from the community are rallying to collect canned goods, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products and other items for Katrina victims in the Gulf Coast. This group of volunteers – the Katrina Coalition of Spokane – is sending a semi-truck full of supplies this weekend to Gulfport, Miss.

Their goal is to help residents of small towns who may not have received the same amount of aid as New Orleans and other more urban areas. They also want to offer support during this critical period – when the need remains great, but relief efforts begin to wane.

“Once it’s off the front page, you forget about the people,” Hammond said. “We wanted to do something after everyone else wasn’t doing anything.”

Volunteers from Spokane-area churches, colleges and universities, service clubs and other organizations hope to pack up a 53-foot semi-truck, scheduled to leave Saturday for Gulfport.

With only two days left, they still have about three-quarters of the truck to fill. Now, they’re counting on the community to pitch in.

This past week, Hammond and others have spent all their spare time in a northeast Spokane warehouse, stacking and organizing donations of canned goods, clothing, blankets, tools and other supplies. These items will be delivered to Mount Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, a congregation of about 600 in Gulfport. Mount Bethel will then distribute the donations to dozens of other church communities in the area.

“People here need everything,” Mount Bethel’s pastor, the Rev. J.C. Wilks, said during a phone interview. “The devastation is far worse than what you’ve seen on TV.”

Many members of Mount Bethel and other area churches are now living in shelters, he said. Katrina ravaged their homes and livelihoods, he said. Many fled with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

“Please be compassionate to the people on the coast,” the pastor pleaded. “The storm affected more than New Orleans.”

Members of the Katrina Coalition of Spokane talk to Wilks and other church leaders on the Gulf Coast almost every day. Through these conversations, people in Spokane not only learn first-hand about the struggle to rebuild lives, but they also get an idea of the hurricane victims’ specific needs. According to the coalition, the list of items includes flashlights and batteries, insect repellent, formula and baby food, light blankets and sheets, rubber gloves, cleaning supplies, tools, can openers, and food.

Many in Spokane have already stepped up to the plate with their contributions, according to Hammond. Lindley Properties donated the warehouse space; White Buffalo Trucking Corporation provided the truck and a volunteer driver, Phil Putnam; and hundreds in the area have contributed gas money and supplies.

The Katrina Coalition of Spokane also hopes to assist 20 families in the Gulf Coast, said volunteer Liz McAlpine of Spokane.

“I wish I could be there to hold someone and give them support,” she said. “But since I can’t do that, I’m going to give whatever I can from here. … The Lord has blessed me with so much. This is the least I can do.”