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The traditions of community service and citizen participation have been at the heart of American civic culture since before the nation was founded. Historically, our greatest strength as a nation has been to be there for one another. Citizen participatio n has been the lifeblood of democracy. 

As Thomas Paine put it, “The highest calling of every individual in a democratic society is that of citizen!” Accidents of nature and abstract notions of improvement do not make our communities better or healthier p laces in which to live and work. They get better because people like you decide that they want to make a difference.  

Volunteering is not a conservative or liberal, Democratic or Republican issue; caring and compassion simply help to define us as being h uman.  

It is within our power to move beyond a disaster and economic crisis like the one that has engulfed New Orleans and to create new opportunities. What it comes down to is assuming personal responsibility. If we decide to become involved in voluntar y efforts, we can restore idealism, realism, responsiveness, and vitality to our institutions and our communities.  

At her memorial service, it was said of Eleanor Roosevelt, the most influential American woman of the twentieth century, that “she would r ather light a candle than curse the darkness.” What was true for her then is true for us now. The choice to make a difference is ours. 

How to help those individuals and communities hurt by Hurricane Katrina through donations and volunteering 

The followi ng organizations and groups that provide direct emergency assistance: 

American Red Cross 

(800) HELP NOW (English) 

(800) 257-7575 (Spanish) 

www.redcross.org 

America’s Second Harvest 

(800) 344-8070 

www.secondharvest.org 

American Friends Service Committee 

(215)241-7000 

www.afsc.org 

B’nai B’rith International 

(888) 388-4224 

http://bnaibrith.org 

Catholic Charities, USA 

(703) 549-1390 

www.catholiccharitiesusa.org 

Christian Disaster Response 

(941) 956-5183 

www.cdresponse.org 

Church World Service 

(800) 297-1516 

www.churchworldservice.org 

Feed The Children 

(800) 525-7575 

www.feedthechildren.org 

Lutheran Disaster Response 

(800) 638-3522 

(no web site) 

Oxfam America 

(800) 77-OXFAM or (617)482-1211 

www.oxfamamerica.org 

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance 

(800)8 72-3283 

www.pcusa.org/pda 

Salvation Army 

(800 725-2769 

www.salvationarmyusa.org 

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief 

(800) 462-8657 

www.namb.net/site/c.9qKILUOzEpH/b.224451/k.F902/Hurricane_Katrina_Disaster_Relief_Update__Donations.htm 

Union For Reform Jud aism 

(212) 650-4140 

http://urj.org/index.cfm? 

Unitarian Universalist Service  

Committee 

(617)868-6600 

www.uusc.org 

United Jewish Communities 

(877) 277-2477 

www.ujc.org 

United Methodist Committee On Relief 

(800)554-8583 

http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ 

Volun teers of America 

(800) 899-0089 

www.voa.org 

YMCA of the USA 

(800) 872-9622 

www.ymca.net 

YWCA of the USA 

(800) YWCA US1 

www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=284783 

The following organizations and groups provide direct or indirect assistance and/o r advocate for policies and programs to assist victims or stricken communities. This is particularly important because of the failure of the federal government and this administration to provide leadership and competence before and during the disaster. Vo luntary efforts should not be a substitute for government action, and advocacy groups must take the initiative to assure that the government fulfills its responsibility to the American people.  

ACORN 

(877) 55ACORN 

www.acorn.org 

Campaign for America’s Fut ure 

(202) 955-5665 

www.ourfuture.org 

Catholic Campaign for Human  

Development 

(202) 541-3000 

www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/ 

Center for Health, Enviroment and  

Justice 

(703) 237-2249 

www.chej.org 

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 

(202) 408-1080 

www.cbpp.org 

Children’s Defense Fund 

(202) 628-8787 

www.childrensdefense.org 

City Year 

(617) 927-2500 

www.cityyear.org 

Coalition on Human Needs 

(202) 223-2532 

www.chn.org 

Common Cause 

(800)926-1064 

www.commoncause.org 

Community Action Partnership 

(202)265-7546 

www.communityactionpartnership.com 

Corporation for Supportive Housing 

(212) 986-2966 ext. 500 

www.csh.org 

Field Mobilization Department of the  

AFL-CIO 

(202)637-5000 

www.aflcio.org 

Habitat for Humanity 

(229) 924-6935 

www.habitat.org 

www.MoveOn.org 

NA ACP 

(877) NAACP-98 

www.naacp.org 

National Congress for Community Economic Development 

(877) 44-NCCED or 202 289-9020 

www.ncced.org 

National Council of La Raza 

(800)311-NCLR 

www.ncced.org 

National Neighborhood Coalition 

(202) 408-8533 

www.neighborhoodcoalition.org 

National Urban League 

(212) 558-5300 

www.nul.org 

National Mental Health Association 

(800)969-6642 

www.nmha.org 

People for the American Way 

(800) 326-7329 

www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general 

Project America 

(804) 358-1605 

www.project.org 

Sierra Club 

(415) 977-5500 

www.sierraclub.org 

In addition to contributing money, basic supplies and services; the healthiest response for individuals is to volunteer to do community service in your own home town. 

For a more complete in-depth list see: Make A Diffe rence: America’s Guide to Volunteering and Community Service by Arthur I. Blaustein (Jossey Bass/Wiley) 

Please contribute to the health and vitality of our communities by sharing this list with as many people as possible. 

Reprinted with permission. 

Art hur I. Blaustein is a professor at the UC Berkeley where he teaches urban policy and community development. He served as chairman of the President’s Council on Economic Opportunity under Jimmy Carter. His most recent books are Make a Difference and The Am erican Promise: Justice and Opportunity.  

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