....for those affected by the devastation of Katrina, please remember that those low-life scum trying to profit from other peoples' tragedies are already ramping up. There have been reports of fake web-sites and e-mails soliciting donations for hurricane victims.
Please, please, please give what you can to hurricane relief. The devastation is immense. But make sure that you are giving to a reputable and reliable charity.
Of course, Catholic Charities will accept donations, and most parishes will be taking up second collections for hurricane relief, beginning this weekend. If your parish doesn't take one up and you want to donate via Catholic Charities, here is an address you can mail a donation to:
2005 Hurricane Relief Fund
Catholic Charities USA
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788
I know some folks have big issues with Catholic Charities, and prefer a different path for donations. Just be sure to check out the pedigree of the organization you choose to support.
Here is a link to the FEMA website, that contains a list of charities you might want to consider--beginning with the American Red Cross and going through Operation Convoy and a host of others.
Give generously, but give wisely. Make sure your gift is getting to the people that need it, and not to thieves and punks.
TTLB is cross linking to lots of charities for Katrina relief. You might want to check it out.
Heres a link to the arlington yarn store's newsletter where she posted some info too - http://www.yarnheaven.com/newsletter.htm