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Zontians Contribute to Hurricane Relief EffortsMessage from Zontian "down under" | Zonta story in California newspaper From: MAGGIE WARREN Dear Zontians, I thought you may be interested to read about some of the ' hands on' efforts of our Zonta members for both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita victims:
While this falls under the "strange" category, we have already been written about the bra/lingerie thing in California, which article has circulated the globe, I am thinking we need an article on our direct involvement with this. I am including 2 photos, one of 3 of the pallets behind David's office (we don't have space just now and were only able to fit one pallet in the storage unit) as well as a photo of tables of clothing.
To date, we have received over 350 cartons of clothing and other goods. The Zonta Club of Lafayette is facilitating the sorting and distribution of this effort. We are enjoying seeing all the packages arriving addressed to “Zonta District 10 – Hurricane Katrina Relief” although our postman and the UPS delivery guy are getting exasperated over the quantity of cartons each day. Each donor receives an information letter and receipt, both which contain information about Zonta International and include all the website addresses. I have personally received hundreds of emails and phone calls, some of which specifically ask about Zonta and its activities. We are being praised for our efforts in helping women, who are the central force of most families in southern Louisiana. We have distributed clothing to a former Zontian from New Orleans, who in her role as an Alzheimer's specialist and manager of 4 group homes in New Orleans, evacuated to Lafayette with her patients and staff. Jo Huey received clothing and underwear for her patients, staff and herself. We've been able to distribute to several church groups and individuals. Zontians and friends have brought family members and friends in and referred others to us. Our local battered women's shelter has received several carloads. We have expanded our distribution to Gulfport, Mississippi and now to the western part of Louisiana to the victims of Hurricane Rita. We are also soliciting used computers to be overhauled though the kindness of another Zontian. These will be donated to the New Orleans Zontians and may be sent to others as well. Club members throughout District 10 have opened their homes and their hearts. Several have taken families into their homes, especially the elder ones who need care. Many volunteer hours are being worked, money and goods donated, and some folks are cooking and serving meals to the evacuees and volunteers. Our District 10 Foundation has benefited from the generosity of many. A special committee has been formed who will review grant applications and make their recommendations to the District 10 Foundation Board. The reconstruction and re-settlement of Louisiana and Eastern Texas is going to take an enormous amount of faith, energy, money and time. While most people are quick to respond with monetary donations for relief assistance, and we are to be grateful for that, what we must remember is that any commitment to this disaster relief effort should be a long term one. The immediate needs of shelter, food, clothing and medical care are being filled, but the holidays are just around the corner. Even with all the government assistance available, I suspect that many children will not have fun Halloweens, bountiful Thanksgivings or very merry Christmases. Most of the mothers in the matriarchal society of the South are sole providers and we must rally around them so that they can keep their families whole. These children will need an ongoing supply of school items, including clothing, shoes and computers. Those returning to their hometowns are without libraries. Their mothers will need nurturing and emotional support, opportunities for jobs and nesting things for their homes. Their fathers need to know that they are not alone in their efforts to rebuild their homes, lives, jobs and businesses. So many are moving away – far away – and facing so many uncertainties. We cannot forget them, even though time is passing. Zontians are doing their part. The support of our sister Zontians, friends and families is powerful and we can, and will, be effective in District 10’s effort to improve the status of women in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama who have been affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Their needs are great. Attached is an email I received from D24 Governor Ros Kinder telling of a news article has circulated down to Australia. It stems from a telephone interview that I gave last week to a reporter in Pleasanton, California regarding a local store’s donation of lingerie. Unfortunately, he did not do a very good job of listening to me or researching Zonta on our websites, but Zonta made the news nonetheless. Not bad PR. I thank you for your prayers and support. Merci Beaucoup, Message from Zontian "down under"Hi Maggie, Thought you would be interested in this - it was sent to me from a Zontian living in Canberra - not sure where she picked it up from - but you have made the stories "down under". I do hope that things are settling down over there - the hurricane is still on the news here most nights - it is so hard to believe some of the stories and the slowness of the authorities to respond - mind you I am not sure how our authorities would react in such a situation. I haven't checked the updates on your website in recent days but again hope that our Zontian sisters over there can rebuild their lives fairly speedily and it is not too heartbreaking when they are allowed to return to their homes. Best wishes and thinking of you, Lingerie for hurricane victimsPLEASANTON - Carol DiSalvi's heart went out to the people suffering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Just like most, she was concerned about the lack of food, shelter and water for the hundreds of thousands of people affected. Knowing that man, and woman, does not live by bread alone, DiSalvi felt bad about something else, too. "I was watching these poor ladies, and they didn't have anything," said DiSalvi. "I thought, if someone handed these women a used bra, they'd have to take it. They don't have anything else. I just thought that was sad. That's an intimate item." DiSalvi realized she could provide a personal touch to what, for many, has become a large-scale, mass-quantity relief effort. As owner of Lily Ann's in downtown Pleasanton, DeSalvi had a fair amount of overstock and "for sale" items she knew she could part with. By the end of it all, she had packaged up a 45-pound box with more than $11,000 worth of lingerie in it. It was ready Friday to be mailed to a Louisiana-based relief provider. "There's everything in there -- bras, panties, thongs, sleepwear, everything," DiSalvi said. "When I watched television, I noticed a lot of the ladies appeared to be large-busted ladies. We specialize in large-busted women, so it was perfect." DiSalvi didn't stop there. She also reached out to her network of other lingerie retailers, manufacturers and suppliers to send anything they could. DiSalvi said so far she has received more than 60 e-mails from others in the industry saying they're going to do the same. "It's a phenomenal thing," said Maggie Warren, governor of the Lafayette, La., district of Zonta, a nonprofit group for women that is receiving and distributing DiSalvi's shipment. "I can't imagine the Red Cross would even accept it, but it's really going to help a lot of people." DiSalvi, in fact, did call the Salvation Army and Goodwill, but neither group was willing to take her offerings. That's when a client suggested the Zonta group, and DiSalvi contacted Warren. Warren said that over the past week Zonta had received some undergarments from stores in Florida and New York. "I just didn't want to think of the feeling of waking up in the morning and having to put on an old bra," said DiSalvi, whose box included more than 100 bras in sizes from 32A to 50I. "I'm just happy we got such a wonderful response back and were able to do something." |
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Zonta Club of Fort
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On
Wednesday September 28th, Overnite Transportation Company arrived at
our Zonta warehouse with four (4) pallets, weighing 1,453 pounds, of
BRASSIERES. Donated to Zonta by Barrett Distribution, Elila, Inc.
in Franklin, MA., they are boxed according to size and most are
larger - 40/42 D, E, F, G, H and I. We also received over 400
pounds of new cotton knit pajamas in sizes Small and Medium.
Zonta
International and District 10 have a prominent place in the Katrina
efforts, due in part to the care, concern and generosity of our
Zonta sisters around the world, but also due to Past Governor Carol
Rainey's efforts. (Carol is now a member of District 9). She put
out a call to her fellow Weekenders clothing line representatives
which has resulted in hundreds of cartons of new and nearly new
samples and other clothing and supplies. These people have further
increased the circle of donors by incorporating our "Zonta message"
into their networks and we are receiving from other organizations
like Soroptomist, as well as clothing and lingerie manufacturers.
The donors are from Alaska, Canada, New York, Florida, California
and all points in between.