Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Dunwoody Families can help Families in Joplin, Missouri!

 This morning I received a call from a neighbor and school council member at Chesnut Charter Elementary School asking if I could help Ms. Jan Jordan, a first grade teacher at Chesnut collect disaster relief supplies that she is willing to personally drive to the Joplin area.   Of course the answer was yes and I am copying her email and posting it below.   Besides having the Dunwoody Police Station near Perimeter Mall as a drop off point, I am also willing to collect what ever supplies you would like to drop off at my home by Monday Afternoon and I will make sure Ms. Jones gets the supplies for the trip to Joplin.

My home address is 4624 Buckley Court, the corner house at Buckley & Riverglenn Circle in the Dunwoody North neighborhood directly across from Peachtree Middle School.  My driveway faces Riverglenn and if you see a basketball hoop you are at the correct location.  It would be appreciated if you place the supplies either near the garage door or on the table under the tree (if it is raining) and I will take care of the rest.  Thanks and remember it could have been, or once was us that needed the help.
Dunwoody Families can help Families in Joplin, Missouri!

While watching the evening news last night, I saw the devastation caused by the tornadoes in Joplin, MO, as I'm sure many of you did. Seeing the devastation after just completing the school year at Chesnut… thinking of how blessed our community is to be intact, healthy, and have wonderful schools for our kids….I knew I must do my part to help put that city back together.

Although it’s not clear right now whether I will be doing this on behalf of Chesnut, all Dunwoody, or just as a private citizen, I am writing to ask for your help. I will drive out to Joplin in a U-haul on Tuesday or Wednesday, 5/31 or 6/1. I will be taking with me ANYTHING that could be useful to the families there.

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New or lightly used items from the following list would be MOST appreciated: water, clothing, furniture, blankets, books (children and adult), board games, playing cards, toys – whatever your family would need to survive in a shelter for a period of time, or to help rebuild later. In addition, there is ALWAYS urgent need for diapers and formula in any catastrophe like this.
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You can also donate financially directly to the Red Cross via their website’s Missouri update page: http://newsroom.redcross.org

We will be waiting for the state of Missouri to post information about the search and rescue, as well as the sorts of donated items they would welcome. In the meantime, we can get started with a collection of our own to be ready for Monday. (Anything that I cannot deliver once I arrive will go to the nearest Salvation Army or other donation center.)

PLEASE GATHER YOUR ITEMS FOR THE FOLLOWING DROP-OFF LOCATIONS:

Check for new information on this effort on www.chesnutcharter.com.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach me at: jjordan331@hotmail.com

Thank you for ANYTHING that you can do to help!

Jan Jordan
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7 comments:

  1. MelissaMay 25, 2011 at 11:40 PM

    Thanks, John, for always being there for Chesnut, Dunwoody, and the wider community. It's always great to work with you. After the St. Jude's donation, the Kindergarten Heifer International donation, and this... it seems "the little school that could" in Dunwoody could make a name for itself in philanthropic circles! :-)

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  2. DunwoodyPersonMay 26, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    Cash is better than stuff. It's very kind to donate items, but they often end up in the landfill. Salvation Army and Red Cross officials can use money to dispense what is actually needed. Here's what happened in Alabama last month: http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2011/may/16/toy-clothing-donations-not-needed-tornado-victims-ar-1849739/

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  3. MelissaMay 26, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    Jan is aware that this may be the case... I don't think even the Red Cross will turn away diapers, etc., but if there is any issue, she will be taking all items to the nearest church or Salvation Army drop that she can find. Also, she includes the cash donation link for the Red Cross for anyone who shares your concerns.

    I think it's rare for an individual to really FEEL something enough to go out of their normal life to help. For this reason, I will be taking diapers and formula for Jan's effort!

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  4. Paula CaldarellaMay 26, 2011 at 9:42 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Paula CaldarellaMay 26, 2011 at 9:43 AM

    Dunwoody Mom said...
    We had a group of people take supplies, i.e. water, diapers, formula, gatorade over towards the Tuscaloosa area. They had a pickup truck and just gave it out as they came along people who needed the items. All of the donated items were gone in 2 hours time. In cases like this, needed items may get to individuals quicker than waiting for the Red Cross to find them. Not everyone is in a shelter.

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  6. dpgroupieMay 26, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    Someone please correct me if my news is old news, but awhile ago, I knew that Red Cross admin overhead costs were 85% to the 15% that went to victims. It was the OTHER way around for Salvation Army. If that's still the case, our money is better spent (by giving to SA, or other means to get people what they need). Just sayin...

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  7. MelissaMay 26, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    Question Mark:

    There was some criticism of RC after Katrina over this issue, but no alleged disparity as large as what you mention. To the contrary, the RC is one of the highest ranked charities in this regard. Check out CharityNavigator.com... the important figure is "program expenses" which tells you how much of their money goes to the programs they deliver. The RC is at 91.8%.

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