Been There Clearing House

    It took many hours to figure out how I would begin this article. The last four weeks have been the hardest most trying time in my life. It is hard to see nothing but destruction around you, and try to remain calm and level-headed. I guess I should start with a little on me and […]

We have just reorganized the site, so we’d like to give you a tour of the many supplies and offers listed here.
If you are relocating because of Katrina or Rita, or if you are helping coordinate housing for people displaced by the hurricanes, and you are in need of supplies, please click on the tabs […]

Go to NPR www.npr.org to hear recordings of actual conversations between the Governor of Louisiana, the Mayor of New Orleans, FEMA officials and others as they planned for and responded to Hurricane Katrina.  Available are hours of conversations that transpired, beginning days before Katrina hit.  Walter Maestri, the emergency manager from New Orleans’ Jefferson Parish […]

It feels good to know somebody cares.
We got the first of two boxes in today (from a Been there Clearinghouse donor) and it was like xmas for Ty and I. He had his first hot bath in almost three weeks tonight. He chowed two bottles of formula, one of water, and curled up in his […]

Many of you have expressed an interest in “adopting” a Katrina family for a period of time to provide some of what they need, by way of supplies, to help them get back on their feet. 

As we heard from Mary: “My husband is the Pastor of two small rural United Methodist Churches in Central Ohio. […]

Through the Been There clearinghouse, people across the country and around the world have offered to donate thousands of things to the victims of Katrina. From diapers to children’s clothes, to interview outfits for adults, the generosity has been enormous. The amount and variety of donations has been amazing.
With that in mind, we thought it […]

Please note: While this story is very moving, we are hearing from others about significant logistical complications related to doing something like this on one’s own.

Jane Ellen Boothe is with the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home in Ruston, Louisiana and last night she said to me, “This little parish has tripled in size in three days. We’ve taken in 36 children, ages 9-17 from New Orleans and many of them don’t know what’s happened to their families. The staff from a […]

Helping people one at a time.
By sending donations directly to the families that need them, where they’re living. Right now. That’s the goal.
In the last 18 hours, people across the country have pledged to send hundreds of donations immediately and directly, to Katrina victims at their temporary […]

As we thought about all the Americans across the country who are offering their homes to the people of Louisiana and Mississippi who’ve lost theirs, we realized that all these families are going to need supplies when they get to their new, temporary residences. Toys for the kids, clothes for themselves and the kids, diapers, […]

To support Blog for Relief Day for Katrina, Been There has selected Habitat for Humanity. Please join us in contributing to this amazing organization!
If you have a blog and want to join Blog for Relief, go to Truth Laid Bear (http://www.truthlaidbear.com/).
Also, Moxie is asking people to PLEASE contact Carnival Cruise Lines and BEG […]