Montanans show their generosity

When it comes to being bona fide neighbors, Montanans put their money where their hearts are.

Wil Huett, public relations officer for the Red Cross of Montana, conservatively estimates that in just two weeks $250,000 has been received statewide in response to Hurricane Katrina.

The state's eight Red Cross offices are in the process of training a growing army of volunteers for three-week stints in the coast's devastated areas and evacuation centers.

"Montanans are so generous," Huett says. "It's just an amazing testament to how much time we take and how much we give."

Whether it's across the backyard fence or halfway across the continent, the Red Cross has been there to help for 125 years. In the last year alone, it's responded to 159 disasters just in Montana, an average of three a week. Huett points out that the Red Cross is there for crises at every level, from a house fire to catastrophes of horrific proportions such as Katrina and last December's tsunami in South Asia.

Katrina has drawn possibly the largest single emergency response in U.S. history. The Salvation Army also is engaged in massive relief efforts on the Gulf Coast, providing meals, shelters and health care.

Here at the local corps more than $18,000 has been received and sent, with more local donations sent directly to the Salvation Army's national headquarters.

Both the Red Cross and Salvation Army agree cash is the best way to help now. As Huett puts it, if you donate a bottle of water and it's shipped to New Orleans at the cost of $3 a gallon, it will slake one person's thirst for one hour. But the money for that bottle costs nothing to deliver. It also re-energizes the economy by keeping people working at the store where someone can shop for what he or she needs. People, in turn, regain some control over their lives.

The long-term assistance required by this monumental storm is becoming increasingly apparent.

Locally, a giant garage sale is planned Oct. 1 and 2 at the Flathead fairgrounds to benefit both organizations. Bring your donations or volunteer to help sort items Sept. 28 through 30. Call 212-2024 or 862-4039.

There are unending ways to give, from buying a cup of Joe Wednesdays at any Coffee Traders to a five-course Cajun feast and concert by blues band Andre Floyd and Mood Iguana Sept. 24 at the Knead Cafe.

As Americans learn more about the monumental scope of the recovery effort, we'll need to keep stepping up to the plate. Watch for opportunities from car washes to collecting pennies.

And head to the Eagles in downtown Kalispell tomorrow for our hometown's own version of Band Aid. Local musicians will play their jazz, blues, rock and rockabilly from 2 to 10 p.m. Admission is free; donations requested. All proceeds go to the Red Cross for the urgent needs of families and evacuees along the Gulf Coast.

Red Cross, 17A First Ave. E., Kalispell, MT 59901

752-6433; www.redcross.org

Salvation Army, P.O. Box 8357, Kalispell, MT 59904

257-4357 or www.salvationarmyusa.org