News

Hurricane Relief

The Humane Society of the United States
In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, The HSUS has launched a massive relief effort to rescue animals and assist their caregivers in the disaster areas. HSUS highly trained Disaster Animal Response Teams are in Louisiana and Mississippi coordinating a multi-state animal rescue and recovery effort. HSUS is in New Orleans and have rescued hundreds of animals in the hardest hit areas of Mississippi since Friday.
The entire relief effort is funded by donations ple, and support is desperately needed. Please make an emergency contribution to our Disaster Relief Fund today! To donate, please complete the information on the secure online form online at the HSUS site

https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2005/step1/ru1zy-eM1kp5X.
Your tax-deductible gift will be used exclusively for our disaster animal relief work.

To send your gift by U.S. Mail, please make your check payable to HSUS Disaster Relief Fund and mail it to HSUS, Dept. DRFHBM, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Thank you!

Governor's Office Develops Web Sites To Assist Hurricane Relief Efforts

AUGUSTA, ME - Governor Baldacci has authorized the creation of a Hurricane Katrina Assistance Task Force to bring together State and volunteer agency resources to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Maine residents who seek more information on the State's relief efforts can call the new hurricane hotline at 800-452-8735.

The State of Maine has developed web sites for those who wish to assist
the hurricane relief effort - http://www.maine.gov/mema/help.htm. The site features instructions for donating cash or goods, as well as information on how to volunteer. Maine citizens who wish to offer their homes as potential shelter locations for displaced hurricane victims can register at the web site http://www.maine.gov/katrina.

For more information, call 207/624-4400.

Portland's Positive 89.3 WMSJ Begins "Operation Reach Out"

Operation Reach out is a state wide relief effort to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Radio Stations, Media Outlets, and businesses throughout the state are uniting in an effort to provide much needed supplies and funds to the Gulf Coast. Cash Donations and donations of bottled water and non-perishable food items, can be dropped of at any Maine Bank & Trust location. Bisson Moving & Storage will provide freight service to the Nazarene Disaster Response Depots in Alabama and Louisiana, where the supplies will be distributed in a joint effort between the American Red Cross and FEMA.

To help with Operation Reach Out please contact Chris Scotland at 1-800-434-3448 or chris@positive.fm.
Information about Operation Reach Out and drop off locations can be found at www.positive.fm.

TraderZoo.com supports the relief effort for Hurricane Katrina.

Traderzoo.com is encouraging people to list goods, services and shelter they want to donate to help in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by this storm, and are in need of food, shelter and other goods. The areas most deeply affected by the storm will need to be rebuilt, and this will require building materials, as well as willing and able workers. TraderZoo.com provides a free and easy to use marketplace where people can list their goods. Now, more than ever people are turning to the Internet to look for goods and services that can help in the reconstruction.

Society of Professional Journalists Bulletin
By Tom Henderson
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the gulf coast last Monday, several media companies are mobilizing efforts to help people in the region, including in many cases, their own employees who continue to work toward serving the public need for news and information even in the face of great hardship. Following is a list of some of the efforts:

Knight Ridder has established a matching gift fund to assist KR employees who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Many members of the staff of Knight Ridder's The Sun Herald (www.sunherald.com) in the Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss. area lost everything, but the paper continues to go out. Knight Ridder will match up to $500,000. Checks can be made payable to Knight Ridder Inc. Fund and mailed to Leslie Spencer, Director of Treasury Operations, Knight Ridder, 50 West San Fernando St., San Jose, CA 95113. Donations also can be made via PayPal (www.paypal.com) at paypal@knightridder.com.

The McCormick Tribune Foundation has established a relief fund to help relief organizations assisting people affected by the hurricane. Details may be found on the MTF website (www.rrmtf.org/mtf/hurricanerelief.htm).

In Dallas, WFAA-TV and The Dallas Morning News have organized a community relief fund with Chase and Bank One to benefit hurricane victims. (www.belo.com/pressRelease.x2?release=20050831-768.html).

Newspaper staffing support: Newspapers affected by Hurricane Katrina can post open positions -- including temporary assignments -- free of charge, at Newspaper CareerBank, www.newspapercareerbank.com. Prospective staffers can reply online, and an alert on the available positions will be sent to CareerBank registered jobseekers.

In addition, extra online advertising inventory can be donated to The American Red Cross to help the hurricane victims. Go to the Red Cross Website (www.redcross.org/psa/bannerorder/all/) to download available banner ads.

New phone center, web site established for Army Reserve families and Soldiers affected by hurricane

Release by US Army Reserve
(FORT McPHERSON, GA) - Army Reserve family members and Soldiers affected by Hurricane Katrina now have a way to contact the Army Reserve through a newly created call center.

The toll free number for the center is 1-877-464-9330 or from a military phone DSN 367-9330. Phones will be manned 24 hours a day as of noon, Friday, September 2. Operators will take down information to aid deployed Army Reserve Soldiers in determining the status and whereabouts of their families affected by Hurricane Katrina Additionally, callers will be screened to determine what other assistance they may need. The call center will have information and will help guide callers to specific resources.

In addition to the 1-877 phone number, there is a web site established where families of deployed/mobilized Army Reserve Soldiers and Army Reserve Civilians may provide their current contact information. The address of the web page is http://www.arfp.org. The web site also provides information and links to the many agencies providing specific relief to those in need.

Army Reserve Soldiers and Army Reserve Civilians who have been dislocated as a result of the hurricane should also call the number or log into the web site to aid is establishing accountability.

Sing and Pray: relief service dedicated to victims

The North Windham Union Church, a United Church of Christ, has invited a traditional New Orleans style jazz band to play at its Sunday, September 11th, 10 a.m. worship service.

This service, featuring the Portland based State Street Traditional Jazz Band, will seek to celebrate the spirit and courage of the people of the Gulf States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama through hymns and prayers.

In addition, that Sunday marks the 4th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 (911). Our service will also endeavor to hallow and preserve the memory of those fallen heroes of our fire, rescue, police, and victims of the hijacked flights. A special offering will be taken by the church and contributed through the churches of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ to aid in relief efforts.

Come and join us on Sunday, September 11th, at 10 a.m. as we seek to heal from the tragic national events of this past month and to remember and honor those effected by the events of Tuesday, September 11th. For further information please call Dana Reed at 653-6593.