Dollar-a-member donation boosts hurricane relief

» September 2, 2005 «

Farm Bureau helps with immediate and long-term needs on Gulf Coast

As part of the largest humanitarian response to a natural disaster in American Red Cross history, the California Farm Bureau Federation today donated $1 per member to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. The donation to Red Cross hurricane relief totals $87,000.

California Farm Bureau President Bill Pauli encouraged individual farmers, county Farm Bureaus and other agricultural organizations to donate generously to the Red Cross or to the charity of their choice.

"We wanted to do something immediately for people who have been devastated. Many people in the cities and shelters of the Gulf Coast have absolutely nothing?no homes, no food, no shoes. They need help now and we want to give them hope," Pauli said. "Immediate donations of money to the Red Cross and other established charities will assure the quickest possible relief to people who are suffering."

Donations to the American Red Cross may be made online at www.redcross.org or via a toll-free telephone line: (800) HELP NOW.

Farm Bureau has also launched relief campaigns specifically to help farm and rural families in the wake of the hurricane.

The Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau announced Operation Southern Comfort, to provide immediate relief to farm families in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The American Farm Bureau Federation has established the Farm Bureau Hurricane Ag Fund, to benefit farm and ranch families and rural communities.

Information about those relief efforts may be found on the California Farm Bureau Web site, www.cfbf.com.

The California Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization, works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 87,000 members statewide.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.