“As a leader in disaster philanthropy, we know how critical it is to get immediate grants to nonprofits who run to the front lines to respond to emergencies in our region,” said Andy Kopplin, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “Our staff has been working with our nonprofit community to ensure we are ready in the event of a disaster, and today’s announcement is proof that we were prepared thanks to our generous donors.”
The Greater New Orleans Foundation Response and Restoration Fund serves to mobilize and support a network of voluntary and community organizations active in disasters (VOADS and COADS) whose expertise is deployed locally, nationally and internationally. We honor the tradition of “paying it forward” by coordinating with a network of community foundations when disaster strikes other communities to get immediate support to the most vulnerable citizens. Our Response and Restoration Fund provides immediate relief as well as long-term rebuilding support.
Grantees of the $30,000 Response and Restoration Fund Grants include Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana SPCA, Plaquemines Community CARE Centers Foundation, Inc., and VIA LINK. Together, these organizations serve Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St, Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington Parishes.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana serves Jefferson, Orleans, and Terrebonne Parishes. The organization has been working closely with city and parish leaders and emergency management officials, Feeding America, and partner agencies across their 23-parish service area to help meet the immediate need for emergency assistance for those affected by Hurricane Barry. To date, they have distributed water, food, snacks, and cleaning supplies to sites/partners in Houma, Marrero, Harvey, Avondale, and New Orleans. This week, they are scheduled to send additional supplies to our same partners in Houma, Harvey, and Avondale, as well as water, snacks, and cleaning supplies to partners in Lafitte. Additionally, as Second Harvest’s service area covers the entire Gulf Coast region across South Louisiana, Second Harvest will be sending water, food and supplies to partners in Morgan City, Ville Platte, and Lafayette. They continue to work closely city and parish officials, local EOCs, and partners to assess ongoing needs for those affected by the storm, and will be restocking disaster supplies so we stand ready to respond to any future disaster affecting their service area during the duration of the 2019 hurricane season.
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, serving Jefferson Parish, is providing an assessment of needs through their short-term/long-term case management assistance to evaluate flood-damaged homes in Lafitte. They provide direct assistance of financial support or materials such as food, clothing, gas, and medical supplies and work to resolve damage to homes and to provide rental assistance or temporary housing. In addition, they assist individuals in applying for any aid for home repairs.
Louisiana SPCA, serving Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and Terrebonne Parishes, is providing assistance to residents of Orleans Parish and neighboring parishes that were directly affected by Tropical Storm Barry. LA/SPCA loaned one of their Community Clinic’s Sprinter vans to the Plaquemines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and connected them to a receiving shelter, Charleston SPCA. They worked with PAWS to coordinate a transport of 47 animals from the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter (JPAS) and provided logistical support as well as medical supplies through their Community Clinic. Additionally, they coordinated with the Charleston SPCA directly to transport eleven dogs in their care and eight dogs from Terrebonne Parish’s animal shelter. They are continuing to work on matching shelters in Louisiana with receiving shelters in other parts of the country and coordinating those relationships for future transports.
Plaquemines Community CARE Centers Foundation, Inc., serving Plaquemines Parish, is assisting with resource and referral through their CARE management program for residents whose homes were damaged and/or who are facing financial hardship as a result of the mandatory evacuation orders on both the East Bank and southern end of the parish. In addition, their counselors are increasing their presence in satellite locations for any residents needing crisis counseling. Additionally, their staff is currently reaching out to their existing caseload of clients to offer resources and referrals and to increase their counseling services as a result of impact of the storm. The agency is in close communication with the government offices as well as the sheriff’s office so they can be provided with information on where to follow up and provide necessary services.
VIA LINK, serving Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes, tripled their staffing to respond to disaster-related calls beginning with the July 10th flooding in New Orleans. Between July 10th – 14th, they handled 923 calls from individuals experiencing problems due to weather. They launched a text platform for shelter information that has been used by over 5,400 people. They are actively collecting information on resources available for recovery and providing this information to callers, texters, and chatters. They are also providing supportive counseling to those in emotional distress over this weather event.
The Greater New Orleans Disaster Foundation Response and Restoration Fund remains open year-round, enabling us to have a reserve of funds ready and available to provide immediate assistance. Donations can be made to the Response and Restoration Fund by visiting our donate page.