Giving in Time of Crisis

Giving in Time of Crisis
Pamela Accetta Smith
(847) 405-4069
Sitting comfortably in my
desk chair, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina is still unimaginable
— unimaginable how overwhelming the future must seem to those
affected, how bleak the economy appears, how we could see $4-a-gallon
gasoline and fewer jobs in the coming months, how many farmers in Louisiana
had to dump their milk because they ran out of room to store it when plant
deliveries stopped, even as thousands of people went hungry and thirsty in
and around New Orleans — how the loss of income combined with the
huge expense of repairing damaged barns and using generators to run dairy
equipment could be disastrous for the heart of the state’s dairy
industry.
Yet, I still have hope — hope that the surviving
victims will survive, hope that the land will heal, and hope that we persist as a
country to band together and continue giving to those in need. That said, I
am very proud of our dairy industry. Proud at how many press releases came
my way just days after the hurricane hit, outlining what this company or
that company is contributing to the relief effort.
For example, Kraft provided an initial $1 million in
food and cash grants to assist with the relief efforts (read more about
Kraft’s contributions in this month’s NewsWire). Brookshire
Grocery Co. is matching up to a quarter of a million dollars in cash and
food donations to help, and IDFA continues to encourage all member
companies to donate supplies to help with U.S. recovery efforts in the wake
of this devastating storm.
Other industry organizations are also generously
pitching in to help. Dairy Relief Inc., in conjunction with the National
Milk Producers Federation, has set up a special fund for dairy farmers and
other interested parties to donate money to the victims of this natural
disaster. “Dairy Relief has discovered that people in the dairy
community always step up to contribute when others are in need,” says
Carl Baumann, executive director of the organization. “That is why we
have set up this fund to assist the millions of people affected by this
disaster.”
The money collected through Dairy Relief will be sent
to the American Red Cross, with all contributions made to the Dairy Relief
Hurricane Fund ultimately donated to the victims and their families. For
more information about Dairy Relief Inc., contact Carl Baumann at (618)
654-3676.
Early estimates indicate the devastation caused by
Hurricane Katrina could cost anywhere from $10 billion to $25 billion,
which would be the largest loss from a single even since the terrorist
attacks of September 11.
Let’s continue the efforts everyone, however big
or small.
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