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How you can help
The Crow Wing County United Way and area chambers will accept financial and material aid for the Hurricane Katrina survivors who are expected to arrive in Minnesota this week.
An estimated 3,000 people, homeless because of the hurricane, will be temporarily housed at Camp Ripley.
Financial contributions can be sent to UW Hurricane Relief, P.O. Box 381, Brainerd, MN, 56401. In addition, the United Way office and chamber of commerce offices in Brainerd, Pequot Lakes, Pine River, Nisswa and the Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce Welcome Center, south of Brainerd, will serve as collection sites for clothing.
Officials are looking for new clothes or clothes that are in good condition. Undergarments should be new. Items which are needed are underwear, socks, winter coats, sweat shirts and sweat pants, t-shirts.
Heidi Funk, executive director of the Crow Wing County United Way, said it's expected that 40 percent of the survivors will be children. Children's games that do not need batteries, such as puzzles, games and balls, will also be in demand.
The chambers and United Way will work with Lake Region Storage on Highway 371, which has offered storage space for a distribution center.
People who would like to offer housing or volunteer to help transport goods to Camp Ripley or sort donations may call the United Way at 829-2619. --ÊMike O'Rourke
The enormous task of feeding as many as 3,000 Hurricane Katrina survivors was underscored by an unusual job request that Camp Ripley made to the Workforce Center in Little Falls. Craig Nathan, center operations manager for the Little Falls and other area centers, said the military wants to hire 20 cooks as soon as possible at Camp Ripley. -- Mike O'Rourke
The Salvation Army in Brainerd is now collecting water, diapers and food snack items for the Hurricane Katrina evacuees who will soon be arriving at Camp Ripley.
Dennis Olson, a receptionist at The Salvation Army, said they also want to collect donated clothing but right now they can't because they don't have a warehouse in which to store the clothing. He said anyone who would like to offer use of a warehouse as a collection site should contact The Salvation Army at 829-1120.
There is a drop-off in the back parking lot at The Salvation Army, located at 208 S. 5th St. in Brainerd, where residents can now drop off water, diapers and snack items. -- Jodie Tweed
The Brainerd Public Library is hoping to provide support to Hurricane Katrina victims and would like to partner with other organizations if possible to make it happen, said librarian Marta Mersereau.
"We don't know what we can do but we'd like to do something if there's something we can do," said Mersereau.
The library is offering its resources, including its meeting room space, computers with Internet access and check-out materials, for Hurricane Katrina survivors who will soon be arriving at Camp Ripley. Mersereau said the library has volunteers who would be happy to offer storytime for children, providing a short-term daycare solution for Hurricane Katrina victims who would be able to walk to The Salvation Army, Brainerd Post Office or who wish to check their e-mail at the library. The library has books and videos for the families to check out and Mersereau said perhaps volunteers could offer coffee and cookies in the meeting rooms while the families take advantage of the resources the library has to offer. She said the library has easy access for buses with its circle drive and also could serve as a drop-off point or staging area.
Any organizations that would wish to partner with the library may call Mersereau at 829-5574.
"We want to make the library available," said Mersereau. "We're interested in helping. That's our message." -- Jodie Tweed
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