Metro Nashville's Katrina Relief Efforts

I received the following from Michelle Steele, the Director of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods:

Nashville is helping refugees of the Hurricane Katrina with shelter, food, donations and services.

2-1-1, the community services help line, can provide information about services.

The Nashville Area Red Cross is setting up a service center at its offices at 2201 Charlotte Ave. The center will be open during the Labor Day Weekend on Saturday from 7 am - 3 pm, Sunday 9 am - 1 pm, and Monday 7 am - 1 pm. The Red Cross is also providing shelters for refugees. The first Davidson County shelter is located at Crievewood Baptist Church, 480 Hogan Road, Nashville. The shelter opened its doors at 2:00 p.m. yesterday.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau provides information about discount lodging rates. The CVB also has information about Nashville area attractions that are providing free admission for evacuees from the coastal regions.

Metro Nashville Public Schools are enrolling students who have come to Nashville to seek refuge.

Several Nashville organizations are providing assistance to evacuees and are accepting donations. Metro Parks and Recreation Department will be accepting food donations during the Music City Jazz, Blues and Heritage Festival at Riverfront Park on Saturday and Sunday, and at the Live Along the Lake festival at Centennial Park on Monday.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is accepting donations of food for evacuees.

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is accepting donations for the victims of Katrina.

The Office of Emergency Management is coordinating work crews interested in providing disaster reliefassistance to the coastal region with request from agencies in the affected areas.

I am particularly impressed that the Metro Public School System--like so many other Public School Systems--is enrolling those whose needs are the greatest, the children, so that they can continue their education away from home. Given their limited resources, this is a wonderful expression of care on their part (even if they are required to do it in times of disaster; I don't know whether they are or not).