KATRINA - 21 Days of 24 Hour Prayer

Someboday Cares ~ Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief

24-HOUR PRAYER
Houston Prays will be using the Somebody Cares Houston/America fellowship hall as the site for 21 days of prayer and fasting for the Katrina evacuees and the city’s relief efforts. Prayer began today from 6am-6pm; next week, prayer coverage will be offered around the clock. Anyone is welcome to join.

MEETING NEEDS IN A MONUMENTAL TASK
The needs are great: over 100,000 displaced residents in Houston and thousands throughout the state in need of clothing, housing, education, and income. Tremendous loss of life and property in Louisiana and Mississippi. But through the faithful support of our donors as well as our many partners who have donated gifts in kind or partnered with us in “connecting the dots,” Somebody Cares has been able to facilitate over $500,000 in grants and assistance to shelters along with the distribution $800,000 of gifts-in-kind. In our Houston office alone, we have distributed gift cards for food, clothing, gas, and phone calls to over 15,000 individuals, plus hundreds more who are being sheltered, fed, or clothed through SCA sponsored church shelters and distribution centers. We also distributed 1,000 cots to 16 shelters in Houston and Beaumont.

TRUCKLOADS OF SUPPLIES EN ROUTE
Megan Doyle, founder of Hope for the City in Minneapolis, called us Sunday to say she had 40 trucks of supplies ready to be shipped. Each had pallets of the same items divided up evenly: water, Gatorade, diapers, canned goods, dry goods, new clothes with the tags still on them, and personal care items like shampoo, deodorant, and aspirin. The trucks were ready to go, except for two things: Each of them needed a drop-site, and each of them needed a sponsor for the cost of the gas and the driver. Today, Somebody Cares was able to identify and supply drop sites for 10 trucks—four at our Somebody Cares evacuee operations in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas, and the others at disaster sites in Picayune, Slidell, Biloxi, Gulf Port, and Waveland—along with enough funds to cover the shipping.

RETURNING THE FAVOR
The Indonesian government has requested through the Indonesian Consulate in Houston that Saturday, September 17, be set aside as a day for Indonesians to serve the Hurricane Katrina evacuees as a gesture of gratitude for the contributions made by the city of Houston during the tsunami tragedy earlier this year. Because of our long-standing relationship with Indonesia and our work with tsunami relief, Somebody Cares was asked to facilitate the day of service, which we will host at Hosanna Church where over 50 Indonesian volunteers will serve lunch to evacuees, help with distribution of donated items, and possibly perform traditional Indonesian dances.

Your gift supports the ongoing work of Somebody Cares locally and globally. Please make checks payable to Somebody Cares and send them to PO Box 570007, Houston TX 77257. For credit card donations, please call our office, 713-621-1498, or visit our website, www.somebodycares.org. Somebody Cares reserves the right to apply funds toward the greatest need. Your donation is tax deductible.