The scenes of destruction in Louisiana and Mississippi are harrowing, heart-rending and troubling. Virtually no one could fail to be moved by the devastation of human lives and property we see in media coverage.
For many of us, the first impulse may well be to ponder ways to get food, water and other staples of life to the hardest hit areas. We intensely wish for an instantaneous way to transfer material goods to those in dire circumstances.
So why should one give money instead of food? The simple answer is access. It’s impossible to enter the neediest areas of the Gulf Coast. Many of the roads are blocked by damage or for security reasons.
But there are organizations that have access to some of the areas. Four of the major players are the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and Southern Baptist disaster relief.
These organizations can get food and water to storm victims more quickly than, say, a well-meaning individual who strikes out with a full load in a pickup truck, SUV, U-Haul or other reliable means of transporting charitable goods. The providing of disaster relief on the scale of what is needed in New Orleans, Biloxi and other areas is much more of a science than an art.
As the Red Cross delivers food and Southern Baptist-trained volunteers prepare and serve meals, they do so with initial supplies of food that are in stock and ready for the current disaster. These include thousands of industrial-size containers of food that can be efficiently prepared for quick serving to hungry people.
It’s sad but true that the kinds of donations of food that would be collected in a public drive would be ill suited for use in mass feeding operations. But when well-meaning people with generous hearts donate money to these front-line organizations, they are able to buy large food stocks.
Please consider giving through the disaster relief funds of state conventions, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and local associations. Each of these will utilize 100 percent of your donations to help storm victims.
If you would like to give financial support to victims of Hurricane Katrina, please make checks payable to the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and indicate that the gift is for Hurricane Katrina relief. You may send your check to the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, P.O. Box 11870, Montgomery, AL 36111.
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