Hurricane Katrina has devastated the lives of many families in the South. There are many independent organizations down there right now aiding in relief efforts. One such group is Food Not Bombs (www.foodnotbombs.net), who have been providing hot meals for the hungry without restriction for 25 years now. They are working side-by-side with many organizations, including Vets for Peace (www.veteransforpeace.org), the Common Ground Collective (www.commonground.org), and the Rainbow Family. They are accomplishing many great things while working together, including running a community center for the victims, as well as a full-service Cafe in Waveland, Mississippi.
My local FNB chapter in Algonquin would like to do the same thing. We are currently organizing a trip down to Louisiana, with a departure date of Oct 21st. We are setting up donation sites at local businesses, sponsoring food drives, and holding raffles at the gigs of local bands, in order to collect enough supplies and donations to fund our trip.
Our fund raisers are not bringing in enough money. We have virtually no media coverage of our events because the local publications in the suburbs are unwilling to write a positive story on a leftist political organization.
We also cannot find volunteers. So far, it's just six of us running this whole thing. We have tried contacting every other Food Not Bombs chapter in Illinois and Wisconsin, but have received no response. We are also tryng to unite efforts with other activists in our area, but the suburbs seem to be lacking in those, too.
We are currently looking for a 501c non-profit organization to sponsor us so we can collect tax-deductible donatons from individual contributors, as well as local businesses.
We need media coverage for the local bands and businesses who are supporting us. We need to set up more donation sites all over Kane, McHenry, Lake and Cook Counties. We are also looking for trucks and vans to transport all of our supplies and donations down South. We need local Chicago bands to let us set up tables and do raffles at their shows.
Please support your local independent organizations. We are working around the clock to provide service for those the government, the Red Cross and FEMA have forgotten.
Another organization that needs help right in the Chicagoland area is Vietnam Veterans Against War (www.vvaw.org) They already have a truck loaded with supplies, getting ready to head down to the disaster area. They need gas money. Where the Algonquin Food Not Bombs cannot help them in monetary donations, I am sure some of the frequenters to this website can.
The Algonquin Food Not Bombs has a temporary website set up, although it is lacking in information and has some glitches. Please contact us if you can help in any way. You can also join the FNB network mailing list and receive emails concerning the efforts of all FNB chapters throughout the country. My email address should be provided somewhere in or near this article.
If you are near Lincoln Ave. on Tues Sept. 27th or Sat. Oct 1st, stop by the Wise Fools Pub (2270 N. Lincoln) to see Detagoh, an excellent and eclectic band, nice enough to let us set up a table and do a raffle at their gig!
Together we can make a difference.