September 03, 2005
Helping hurricane refugees in Austin TX
I used to live in Austin TX and I just got emails from both my former synagogue and a large online community there. Houston is overloaded and many refugees are proceeding to Austin. If you live in the Austin area and want to help, many resources are listed in the extended entry.
(New from Jews in the affected areas (and some theodicy to contradict free-floating theological idiocy).
Jewish organizations collecting relief funds.)
Churches in South Texas which are taking in refugees.
If you need news of loved ones, list of people who have been evacuated and where.
The University of TX at Austin, Rice U, and Texas A&M are coordinating with Tulane to enroll college students displaced by the floods.
Also Trinity U in San Antonio.
If you wish to volunteer immediately, please contact the Austin chapter of the American Red Cross at 512-929-1229. It may be necessary to leave a message and may take up to 1 day to have your call returned.
The City of Austin is coordinating Katrina relief.
Volunteers look here.
Evacuees look here.
Lots of Austin relief efforts and fundraising events listed here.
More listed here.
The Austin JCC website has updates on local relief efforts. Also the JCAA is providing free access to fitness facilities and free use of towels and showers.
Please contact 735-8000 for more information.
Counseling and housing assistance coordinated through Jewish Family Services, 512-250-1043. That is also the housing hotline. Please leave a message and someone will get back to you ASAP, if you need or can offer space in an apartment, office, room in your home, etc., call 512-250-1043 or email Mitch Sudolsky at
mitch.sudolsky@jcaaonline.org.
The Burger Center shelter is now closed and everyone is being sent to the Convention Center.
Capital Area Food Bank can use donations and volunteers. They collect and prepare nonperishable food boxes for local shelters and meal programs, and are helping with the Katrina effort.
Goodwill Industries is expecting to donate massive amounts of clothing and other items, so if you are in Austin and were planning to donate stuff, now is a good time to do it.
From the First Baptist Church of Oak Hill:
We have a free standing house on the grounds of our church. It has 3 bedrooms A/C and a kitchen. We can take 6 moms and nursing babies under 6 months
(more if we have room). I will also start a waiting list. We are not taking men, we are not prepared for security issues with boyfriends or the like BUT mainly want to assure privacy for the other women. I am going to try and find near by housing for the Dads with our church later this week, if possible. We are going to try and get these people placed with jobs and private housing as soon as we can. SUPPLIES WE NEED: comfortable nursing chairs and rockers, nursing foot stool, boppie, SLINGS and baby clothes, diapers. wipes and baby toys, changing table, diaper genie, bed rail, futon, sheets towels, nursing wear, new mom clothes
think elastic! Loose tee shirts, Nursing bras, nursing pads. Basically, imagine you were camping with a newborn.
Mail to or drop off:
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF OAK HILL
NEW MOM RELIEF SUPPLIES
6907 Convict Hill RD
Austin TX 78749
Call Ann Bennett at 301-8203 for more info.
Beginning on Friday, September 2, there will be a United Van Lines truck stationed at the JCAA to collect items approved by the American Red Cross Disaster Relief, including: new or gently used clothing, staples such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers and non-perishable food items: bottled water, peanut butter, tuna fish and granola/cereal bars. PLEASE separate clothing items and label for children, women or men. Clothing should be separated from food items or other necessities.
The JCAA will distribute these goods when more information is made available on which organizations will be accepting goods and what the local needs will be, as well as the regional needs.
For more information, please contact Liza Levine 512-735-8078, Alan Potash 512-735-8012 or Hayley Wasser 512-735-8082.
Hotel rooms available as of this weekend:
Holiday Inn (working with Red Cross) 8901 Business Park Drive
$49/$59 night
343-0888
Renaissance Austin Hotel
9721 Arboretum Blvd
Hurricane Katrina Block: $59 night
343-2626
Doubletree Hotel beginning on Sunday, please call Jon McFarland on his cell: 470-5715
6505 North IH 35
Rate to be determined
AmeriSuites beginning on Sunday
3612 Tudor Blvd
Linda Wilson or Joan Buquet: 231-8491
$39/$49 night
AAIM - Austin Area Interreligious Ministries - is asking that clergy, religious leaders and members of Austins faith community come together at First Baptist Church on Thursday, September 15th, 2005. We will begin with an interfaith service of reflection, song and prayer. Subsequently, we will have a strategy session focused on developing an infrastructure of care for the refugees coming to Central Texas and those remaining in their home states. We will also focus on developing a group of trained spiritual care responders, available to meet the pastoral needs of those in crisis.
What: Interfaith Worship Service and Strategy Meeting
When: Thursday, September 15th, 2005
5:30pm Service of reflection, prayer and song
6:30pm Strategy Meeting
Where: First Baptist Church, 901 Trinity Street, Downtown at 9th and
Trinity. Plenty of parking will be available.
Please RSVP if you can attend:
aaim@aaimaustin.org or call 512-386-9145
Food will be provided for $3.00
Posted by Judith at September 3, 2005 03:23 PM
