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MEMA: Gustav Volunteers
Aug. 31, 2008 STATE OFFICE OF VOLUNTEERISM SHARES HURRICANE-RELATED WEBSITE AND PHONE RESOURCES
PEARL – As part of its mission as the State Office of Volunteerism, the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service staff members are working out of the Mississippi Emergency Operations Center to fill volunteerism and donations functions there. “After Hurricane Katrina, Governor Haley Barbour recognized the need to have volunteer management representation at the table, and assigned the Commission for Volunteer Service a permanent seat at the EOC. We are responsible for donations of goods and money, and for volunteerism of many types,” said Marsha Meeks Kelly, Executive Director of the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service.
To donate money or goods to hurricane relief, please visit www.VolunteerMississippi.org and click on “donate.” For those who cannot donate online, please call 2-1-1 (or toll free: 866-472-8265) and a representative will take your donation over the phone. Donations of used clothing will not be accepted; please donate those directly to a local charity. 211 Mississippi also gives disaster assistance to callers in need.
Volunteer Mississippi is a web-based volunteer portal where people can sign up to volunteer following a hurricane or other natural disaster, and where organizations which need volunteers can post opportunities for volunteer service. To use this resource, please visit www.VolunteerMississippi.org and click “Sign Up” or click to become an “Emergency Response Volunteer.” Another useful resource is the network of Volunteer Centers that cover Mississippi. To volunteer, contact the closest volunteer center by calling 1-800-VOLUNTEER (800-865-8683). Press “1” and then use the phone’s keypad to type in your five-digit zipcode; you will be transferred to the nearest Volunteer Center.
The mission of the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service is to engage and support Mississippians of all ages and backgrounds in service to their communities. As your state office of volunteerism, the MCVS oversees AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America programs, and a network of statewide Volunteer Centers. For more information on any program or service, please call 601-432-6779, toll free 1-800-393-1793, or visit www.MCVS.org. ###
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