If you are looking to donate...

The following is a note I received from my New Orleans based friend, Bridget. If you are looking for a place to donate, the People's Institute would be a good place to start.

I've gotten lots of questions about how best to help the people in my city through this crisis. With the vastness of the catastrophe there, it's hard to think in small chunks, so I know many are giving to the Red Cross relief efforts - that will be incredibly helpful for the immediate relief for the folks still trying to escape the city.

If you're looking for something more specific, please consider donating the The People's Institute Survival fund. I've just emailed you the website. This is the organization I've worked for almost since I've been in New Orleans. We do amazing work to build communities, and our community has just been destroyed. All of our National Office staff, board, trainers, and local organizing partners have lost everything. A donation to our organization will help sustain these particular 30-40 people and their families, while we relocate, stay in communication, and keep our work going nationally as we try to rebuild our homes.

Please consider making a donation to this organization. It took us 25 years to build it - Katrina's not going to destroy it in one week.

Thanks!

Bridget

P.S. The following is the note that has been sent out to our regular supporters....and breaks it down a bit more....


Dear Friends and Supporters of The People's Institute,

Even as we continue to grieve for the women, men, and children who remain trapped in New Orleans without food and water, we are grateful that the family members of The People's Institute are safe. We give thanks for all the sustaining calls, thoughts, and prayers coming from across the country and the world. We are most thankful that the spirit of The People's Institute continues to survive - and thrive - within each of us!

We ask your help in rebuilding The People's Institute so it can move from Survival to Beyond. Your gift will ensure that the New Orleans-based People's Institute family can meet its immediate, intermediate, and long-term financial needs. With your help, we will move beyond this crisis and continue to organize for a future of justice, equity and full humanity for all.

The headquarters of the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond are likely submerged in water. The organization has lost its home office and many national staff have probably lost their homes. They are living day-to-day in rooms and hotels scattered all over the United States.

Please send your tax-deductible contribution today to the People's Institute Survival and Beyond Fund. Mail your gift to Peoples Institute NYC, P.O. Box 250809, New York, NY 10025. You will be able to make an on-line gift within 24 hours as we update our webpage. Also, as we restablish our national offices, your contributions of office equipment and supplies will be most welcome. We will make every effort to acknowledge your gifts promptly.

The work of The People's Institute continues through its network of trainers and organizers across the country and internationally. Scheduled workshops will continue as planned. We welcome new training opportunities. Contact us today! Call Kimberley Richards at 724-347-2916 or David Billings/Margery Freeman at 212-678-4947.

We urge each of you to send this letter, with a personal note of your own, to your colleagues, friends and family. Let's show that we truly are a net that works!

With thanks to each of you for your commitment to the continued work and life of The People's Institute,

Ronald Chisom
Executive Director

Tiphanie Eugene
Administrative Director

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