Work Continues & Needs Will Also Continue

October 10, 2005

A Report from Louisiana

The Louisiana Satsang has only been in existence since the beginning of the 2005 hurricane season. After Amma's visit to Dallas in July, we were inspired to start a local satsang. The first meeting was scheduled for mid-September, only to be disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. The ten members of our satsang have been involved personally with the storm as most of the local Louisiana residents have been. The members living in the New Orleans area were evacuated, and one member was evacuated to Tennessee after her home was flooded. After our meeting on September 17, another of our satsang group was completely flooded out of her home when Rita struck and lost almost every material possession.

We have been involved in helping those in our group who have needed assistance and also those family members and friends that have been devastated by the storm. There is one Satsang member who works in a hospital and there have been many special opportunities to work extra shifts and long hours trying to care for the inundation of patients.

Beyond that we have been trying to identify local needs that would be appropriate channels for the MA Center to provide relief assistance. We were honored to have Br. Dayamrita visit and tour the local shelters and even offer a special prayer on Sept. 11 at a meeting of the local Hindu temples.

We are beginning our association with the United Houma Nation, a group of Native Americans with a richly textured heritage being cross-pollinated with the local Louisiana cajun population. They are a well organized group but are in desperate need of funds and volunteers to help provide assistance to their tribe members who were affected by Rita and Katrina. Many thousands of their members lost their homes or sustained severe flooding damage. Many of their group are fishermen and shrimpers whose livelihood has been severely affected by these storms.

There are many ways to help. There is also an active community service center called The Delmont Center, which we are providing funds for cleaning supplies and various needs that evacuees from New Orleans can access. Groups from California have made donations of clothes, toiletries and other goods to be distributed at this location. The M. A. Center has been involved in providing funds for their charitable work.

The work continues and it seems clear that the needs will also continue.

May we all have compassionate hearts, strong hands and quick feet to help all of these suffering people.

Mark Kantrow,
The Louisiana Satsang

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