A report of my last trip to the coast. by Elaine Langley, RN and Plenty Volunteer I left the day after Thanksgiving with my friend Patrick Wilson who was so gracious to accompany me. We filled the Plenty van with supplies for areas in need and Patrick's carpenter tools. Our first stop was Biloxi, Mississippi where I had adopted a neighborhood in a poor area. Betty Smith (from my adopted family) was there to greet us as we dropped off needed supplies and food to her and the surrounding neighborhood. We then drove to the camp in Slidell, Louisiana, a center for volunteers doing relief work. Some land was donated for one year to the volunteers. Already, one of the houses had been completely gutted and there was now a functioning bathroom, kitchen, computer room and an extra room for sleeping. The land was being cleared of all the downed trees and debris. There were tents in the back of the house for sleeping. There was a great pond behind the tents for anyone who just needed to sit and be quiet, to get their thoughts centered. Slidell was a badly hit area by the hurricane. Patrick became the handyman for the camp. He fixed up the tool shed, laid a floor in the computer room and painted it, put much needed outside doors so the house could stay warm and fixed up the pantry with shelves. This was his first trip down to the coast and he was very much energized by the experience. Elaine and Lee I spent my days like I usually did when there, driving along the coast of Mississippi, doing a "needs assessment". Peter (Schweitzer from Plenty HQ) called me and asked me to check out Pass Christian, Mississippi. The area in Pass Christian was one of the worst hit areas I had seen yet. The water had come in five miles from the coast, flooding and destroying everything in it's path. People were living in trailers and tents. There was a man named Lee from Florida living in his truck and had organized local volunteers. They had set up a distribution center in a parking lot and were providing food and supplies to approximately 1500 people. He told me they did not have enough food on a daily basis to feed everyone. The next day a few of the younger volunteers took me to a parking lot in Waveland, Mississippi where food was left from a kitchen that had been feeding people only days earlier. The kitchen moved to New Orleans. We loaded up the van with beans, noodles, rice, fresh veggies and fruit. I also found large pallets of dried milk and instant mashed potatoes that had been left to rot in the rain and weather. There was also tooth brushes and bottled water. A local man told me the only reason it was not in the dumpster was because there was no room. Some semi trucks had dropped it off weeks earlier and it was long forgotten. So we finished filling the van with whatever would fit of the milk and potatoes. When we arrived at the distribution center in Pass Christian, there was a sign on the tent that read "Closed until we get more food". When we pulled up in the van, people flocked to the van as the volunteers unloaded it and distributed it. Elaine collects bags of dried milk and potatoes for people needing food in Waveland. (photo by Patrick Willson.) We then went to Biloxi and gave out blankets and food there. On our way back to camp, Patrick and I made a stop in Waveland. We loaded up some more beans, noodles, fresh veggies and fruit for Pass Christian. We then filled the van with all of the dried milk and some of the potatoes. We filled every space we could. I just could not see letting the food go to waste when there was such need in Pass Christian. When we arrived in Pass Christian, we opened the van and packages of dried milk fell everywhere we were so packed. These are tightly packaged containers, so nothing broke open. There was a church group there wanting to help Lee, so they left for Waveland and picked up all the left pallets of mashed potatoes. We saved the food! Yah! We then went shopping for warm jackets I had promised for some children in Biloxi. Even though there were not many jackets in the stores, I managed to find all the sizes I needed. There is definitely magic happening when I go down there. I have seen it on a daily basis. Patrick just got back from the coast. He went December 26th with his 17 year old son from California for a week. He took Christmas to my neighborhood in Biloxi. With Peter's financial help and donations, I was able to send winter coats to all the adults and kids in the neighborhood, blankets and toys. Even two donated new bikes. When Patrick arrived, Betty had assembled the neighborhood at her house and were waiting. Patrick said he felt like Santa Claus. He also took some donated money to Pass Christian and took Lee and his volunteers food shopping for the distribution center. I plan to go back February 8th for a week and hopefully, may bring some volunteer carpenters. Anyone out there can send donations my way and I will be sure to get it to the needed areas. Love, Elaine Langley Back to Plenty's Hurricane Katrina and Rita Relief Efforts