By Dawn Wolfe Gutterman
COMMERCE, Mich. – Vicky Lewis, co-founder and current president of the charitable group the Godmothers, was a busy woman when BTL caught up with her on the morning of Oct. 21.
Lewis explained that she had seven trucks and six trucks with trailers, all loaded and ready for the Godmothers' second trip to Mississippi to assist hurricane Katrina survivors, and her neighbors were starting to wonder what was going on.
The trip, which was scheduled to begin that afternoon, is the second for the Godmothers since hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Their first trip, which began Sept. 9, took Godmothers to several areas of Louisiana.
This time, they were headed to Waveland, Mississippi, to assist the Rainbow Emergency Management Assembly, an all-volunteer organization made up in large part by some of the same people who plan Rainbow Family Gatherings, in cooking meals for survivors.
The group "has been cooking five thousand meals a day, at a place they call the Waveland Cafe," Lewis said.
After delivering supplies to the Cafe and helping there, Godmothers volunteers will go on to the Houma Native American reservation in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, which according to Lewis was wiped out by the hurricane.
Most of the Godmothers volunteers will be staying for about a week, but some plan to stay longer – and one Godmother volunteer, April from Lansing, is planning on staying "indefinitely," according to Lewis.
In addition to the LGBT community, which Lewis said is a huge supporter of her organization, Lewis said that Shannon Kennedy from Denny's Salon in Waterford, Susan Firestone, a Detroit teacher, and the Eastern Market have all been exceptionally helpful in outfitting her organization for this second trip.
At Detroit's Eastern Market, "they filled a whole truck with produce, and gave it to us for fifty bucks," Lewis said.
Lewis said that a third Godmothers trip to the region is tentatively planned for Thanksgiving. If volunteers aren't available to make the trip, the organization will still send supplies. In addition, the group is planning on producing a documentary from video tapes taken during the trip, as well as a photo exhibit.
Help OUT
The Godmothers are accepting donations for a tentatively-planned third trip to help survivors of hurricane Katrina in Mississippi and Louisiana. Canned foods including pet food, camping supplies, paper products such as diapers, and cleaning supplies are among the needed items. For a complete list of suggested donations, visit www.thegodmothers.org. Then, drop off donations at one of the following locations: Marlene at 510 E. Hazelhurst in Ferndale, or Vicky at 7970 Farrant St. in Commerce. Send checks to the Godmothers at The Godmothers, 7970 Farrant St., Commerce, MI, 48382, and specify "hurricane relief" in the subject line. For more information about the Waveland Cafe, visit http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/09/325044.shtml and http://newwavelandcafe.blogspot.com.
