How You Can Help

Even five years after Katrina, many Mississippians still find themselves in need of help and support. As federal and state programs come to a close, more and more responsibility is placed into the hands of private relief groups and volunteers. These workers continue to put displaced Mississippians into homes and help piece their lives back together. Even if you can’t go to Mississippi to help, however, there are still ways you can support these vital relief efforts.

Donating

Making a donation, no matter how small, is still a good way to help out the relief efforts in Mississippi. As the fair-weather friends have dwindled away, some charities have stood stalwart in Mississippi and are faithfully continuing their efforts. Here is a list of those charities, and the relief work they continue to do.

American Red Cross: The Red Cross was in Mississippi immediately after Katrina and has continued its support over the past five years.
Habitat for Humanity: Habitat for Humanity has a long-term program for hurricane relief in the gulf states, building affordable and decent housing for those who need it.
International Rescue Committee: IRC is a charity that focused its efforts on helping displaced Katrina victims resettle in other cities around the country, to start a new life.
MAZON: This Jewish charity supports food relief efforts, through direct food aid and through donations to help farmers get their farms up and running again.
Oxfam-America: Oxfam has helped the state of Mississippi in numerous ways and continues its efforts today. It helped strengthen local organizations, in order to lobby for themselves in the future; it convinced the Mississippi government to raise the maximum personal reconstruction grant; and it has helped workers receive millions of dollars in back pay that they are owed, due to the oil spill of 2010.

Giving Your Time

The other thing that you can give to aid Mississippians is your time, of course. And this doesn’t necessarily have to mean jumping in your car and driving across the country. There are some ways you can donate your time, no matter where you live.

If you’re the type of person with a lot of friends, you could consider holding a fundraiser for one of the charities listed above. This could be in the form of something as simple as a raffle and a barbecue, to something as formal as a $50-per-plate dinner party. It’s always helpful, of course, to spread the word about continuing Katrina recovery efforts to your network of friends and colleagues, even if you don’t hold a formal fundraising event.

If you’re looking for a more hands-on experience, many of these charities would be happy to have you as a volunteer, as well. Countless other organizations offer “volunteer tourism” trips to the region, where you can spend a week or so directly aiding the recovery efforts in Mississippi by helping rebuild a home.