Hey Folks,

One of our members called me as she arrived home today. Her street was filled w/ fire trucks as her neighbor's home burned down. They are being assisted by Caldwell County Red Cross w/ a hotel room for two days and our fellow member has generously offered to extend that for a week. However, Red Cross only provides two sets of clothing per person & some toiletries. As you know, there are a lot of things children need to overcome trauma & feel safe in their world once more. Donations of money, food, clothing, and household items would go far. I know I've got some extra boxes of crayons & some unused coloring books that would help a child escape this new reality for at least a short time. If you're still spring cleaning, hold off on that trip to Goodwill and share the wealth!

Here's some general info about the displaced family members:

Mom - size 14 clothing; 36B, size 7 undies probably
Boy, 18lb infant - uses powdered formula; was a preemie
Girl, 10 y.o. - size 10 girls
Boy, 11 y.o. - size 12 boys
Girl, 13 y.o. - size 4/5 bottoms/undies, Small tops, 34B
Boy, 17 y.o. - 36W x 32L, Med shirts, sz 10 shoes

Those of you with families know how costly it is to provide for everyone, and when you have nothing, even hand-me-downs are treasures. Open your hearts and do what you can, please. Every little bit helps & the psychological effects of knowing there are truly generous souls out there is a big healer in itself.

Please feel free to contact http://www.centex.redcross.org/ to submit donations or find other ways you can help if you so choose. I'm trying to maintain privacy but if the families' surname is needed for donations, I'll have to get that info.

Times like this really make a person appreciate what they have, don't they?

Thanks Everyone,
Kat