I am the clerk of Baton Rouge Friends Meeting and, like Paul (our webtech), I thank each of you for your love and concern and offers of assistance.
At this time, I am not aware of anyone in our Meeting who needs any help - unless you want to come help me rake leaves and branches in my yard :-) Our electric companies advise that everyone in our immediate area will be up and running by the end of the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that that will really happen! The electric outages and LOTS of tree debris were our worst problems in the BR area.
I am able to account for about half of the regular group of folks in the New Orleans Meeting. They are all safe and either with friends or family for the time being. I am focusing my energy on working with them to help locate the remaining F/friends so that we can begin to assess their specific needs. Once we have our own taken care of, we will be able to expand our care and concern to the wider public community.
Individually, some of our BR folks are already volunteering in shelters around town and getting involved in the important work of restoring dignity to the refugees from the New Orleans area. Our Meeting will be brainstorming in the coming days and weeks and hope to be able to channel your offers for help to some specific one-on-one situations.
Please stay tuned and check with us again next week some time. We are doing our best to respond to each of your emails...please be patient with us.
Thanks again for loving us so much. It feels so good to be a part of the wider faith community of Friends!
Pam
Our prayers are with you friends and all who are suffering. Please let us know of practical help that
can procede from ourselves and our Meeting, Greenwich Friends Meeting in Southern NJ. We to live in lowlands
and impoverished areas and understand welll the chaos at this time. Matthew is 16 years old if a teenage Friend wants another Friend to talk to and I am a socialworker. Let us know any help needed. We have sent water which is on it's way and donations to the Red Cross.Lovingly Mattthew and Gwendolyn Mitsui
