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Tom Carson can't forget that thousands of residents in Louisiana and Mississippi are being forced to start from scratch. Because of it, the Los Gatos resident is helping organize a fleet of volunteers to aid the hurricane victims.
Carson said he hopes to assemble a team of 50 volunteers to go to Mississippi and Louisiana April 1-11 to work on the homes of individual families in Pascagoula, Miss., who are still displaced due to the hurricane.
Pascagoula has been designated as the "Sister City" to Los Gatos because of the similarities between the two towns. As a sister city, Carson said, Los Gatos residents have been looking for ways to reach out and help the victims.
This is the second trip of its kind that Los Gatos residents have organized. The first was in October, and about 10 volunteers helped residents rebuild their homes.
The volunteers will work on private homes that are still in need of repair. The work that will be done includes Sheetrocking, taping, electrical wiring, plumping, roofing, flooring and general carpentry. Carson said, that participants should be physically fit, but do not need to be strong to be helpful.
Volunteers will stay in a dorm-like setting at Eastlawn United Methodist Church in Pascagoula.
He estimates that the 10-day trip will cost $5 a day for food, and approximately $400 for airfare. He also requests that anybody who cannot go but that would like to help can contribute to a scholarship fund set up at the Los Gatos United Methodist Church.
Contributions can also be made directly to the city of Pascagoula to be spent as the local officials see fit. Funds should be sent to the Los Gatos-Katrina Fund, 123 E. Main St., Los Gatos, CA, 95030, attn: Steve Rauwolf.
For more information, call Tom Carson at 408.234.5823.
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