KatrinaSanAntonio.Blogspot.com goes live

San Antonio is home to thousands of new guests from Louisiana. They are spread among four major shelters and in private and community shelters around town. I found it difficult to deliver the items we recently collected, so I started a KatrinaSanantonio Blog to help figure out how to volunteer, what to collect, and where to take donations.
The reality is that San Antonio's relief efforts are shifting into the second phase. We are still receiving new survivors, but the massive effort to place and stabilize them is complete. The chaos is subsiding so your efforts to donate or volunteer should become more deliberate.
If I can offer one tip, it is to remain patient and understanding. So much is needed for the long haul, but not every facility is prepared to accept all items, particularly clothing right now. There are emails floating around that say "Just go to the shelters!" - Don't. The infrastructure has caught up, so please follow the guidelines for donating and volunteering below. If you have any questions, call the agencies. They can take your calls better now.
Whenever possible, pool your efforts at a community level. Volunteer with your church, work or school or have a collection drive in your community and then take the sorted and labeled goods to the SA Food Bank, or the Salvation Army, as appropriate.
Keep me posted on your efforts, frustrations and triumphs!
Take care of yourself!Joe Barfield