Charities help victims look beyond their loss
By Deneen Gilmour
The Forum
The nation’s two largest charities – the Salvation Army and American Red Cross – have flocked to Fargo in a big, big way.

Consider these numbers:

• On Thursday 361 volunteers helped about 1,000 flooded-out Grand Forks, N.D.-East Grand Forks, Minn., residents at the Salvation Army’s relief center in Fargo. The same for Wednesday. Evacuees can push a shopping cart and pick up food, clothing, toiletries and toys.
• With national firms sending truckloads of food and medicine, the Salvation Army has outgrown its headquarters at 4427 13th Ave. S.W. The Salvation Army is looking for a second Fargo warehouse. After the Red River recedes, it’ll set up a Grand Forks mass distribution site.
• On Sunday the Salvation Army expects a plane to unload the equivalent of 10 or 11 semi-truckloads of bottled water, medicine and hygiene products.
• More than 28,000 Salvation Army staff and volunteers have helped 196,967 evacuees and emergency workers since the start of Minnesota and North Dakota flooding a month ago.
• Volunteers make up 90 percent of the Red Cross’ 856 relief workers in North Dakota and Minnesota. They come from nearly every state.
• Twenty-six psychologists and psychiatrists mingle with evacuees at the Red Cross service center in north Fargo. They seek out distressed people and offer them a chance to talk through feelings. So far, 2,370 Minnesotans and North Dakotans have used the mental health service.
• The Red Cross has served 121,913 meals and helped 894 families in the two states.

If those numbers seem mind-boggling, compare them to the severity of needs:

In Grand Forks-East Grand Forks the record-breaking Red River flood will keep about 58,000 people out of their homes for weeks or longer. Most are also without jobs until water recedes and cleanup begins. With no water, sewer or electricity, Salvation Army and Red Cross centers function as stores, restaurants and clinics for the evacuees. As the river flows north, it chases even more people from their homes.

Red Cross and Salvation Army relief efforts differ visibly and philosophically.

At the north Fargo Red Cross center, Grand Forks evacuees are shepherded to the right after walking into the old Kmart store. Dozens sit on folding chairs, waiting to fill out paperwork about their needs.

The Red Cross gives store vouchers to meet immediate food and clothing needs.

Spokeswoman Melanie Rupprecht says vouchers put flood victims back in control. With a $30 voucher for a new pair of shoes, someone can select shoes in the style they prefer and the size they need. Similarly, food vouchers let people shop at the grocery store of their choice and buy brands their family ate at home.

"When someone comes to the service center it’s usually hard for them to ask for help," said Rupprecht. "By giving them a voucher, we put them back in control. That’s part of the recovery process. They don’t want to be victims anymore. That way we actually take the money donated here and put it back into the economy."

The Red Cross prefers cash donations. "We don’t have the resources to collect, sort and distribute items," said Rupprecht. The Red Cross service center affords a relatively quiet place for psychologists and psychiatrists to offer on-the-spot counseling to distressed people.

"Their main concern is to get people thinking ahead," said Rupprecht. Mental health specialists will work in the Red River Valley for months. Most take time off from their jobs and volunteer for three-week shifts.

"The Red Cross will be around here at least six months and probably more like a year," Rupprecht said.

Over at the Salvation Army center, it looks like the day after Thanksgiving at a messy Kmart. Except the pace is slower. These "shoppers" won’t be rushing to another store because most are cash-strapped at the moment. And they have no lists – they are literally starting from scratch, scooping life’s necessities into their carts.

Donated bananas, bread, diapers, toys, shaving cream and toilet paper fill the former Builders Square store. Grand Forks evacuees push shopping carts, picking up necessities from open cartons. Nearly everybody bumps into somebody they know and they swap flood stories.

Over in the southeast corner, it looks like Santa unloaded several sleighs full of toys. Kids from 2 to 12 paw through boxes and bags of second-hand toys, looking for something to pass time.

In the opposite corner, people sort through mounds of donated clothing. Some of it looks wearable, but some looks like it didn’t sell at last summer’s rummage sale.

Out-of-state relief professionals marvel at the generosity of Minnesotans and North Dakotans. They are giving money, clothes, food and opening their homes. That means only about 1,000 of 58,000 evacuees remain in shelters. Most have moved in with family, friends or strangers who want to make someone comfortable.

More help is coming from the Twin Cities today. Eighteen radio stations will broadcast their morning shows from the Target Center, seeking cash and supply donations from listeners. Best Buy has already committed two 53-foot trucks to deliver $85,000 worth of food, batteries, TVs with built-in VCRs, teddy bears, children’s videos and cellular phones with batteries. Airtouch Cellular will donate 30 days of free calling for flood victims.

Lt. Steve Woodard of the Fargo Salvation Army hopes individuals don’t conclude that all needs are met when they hear about corporate America’s generosity. The Salvation Army will need volunteers and cash to help people through displacement and restore their muddy, soggy homes.

Grand Forks evacuees make up a good share of the volunteers working at the Red Cross and Salvation Army relief centers in Fargo. The evacuees would rather work than sit around worrying about their losses. Once those people head back to their homes for cleanup, the Red Cross and Salvation Army hope Fargo area volunteers fill in the ranks.

So far, nearly 4,000 people from throughout the United States have offered supplies and help by calling the Salvation Army’s 1-800-SAL-ARMY hotline. About 120 additional phone lines have been installed to deal with the volume of calls.

After the Salvation Army opens second warehouses in Fargo and the Twin Cities, it’ll be operating five flood relief warehouses in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Here are items the Salvation Army needs:

Paper products – plates, plasticware, napkins, paper towels.

Food – large quantities of "heat and eat" meals, canned fruit and vegetables, instant potatoes, canned spaghetti sauce, soup, crackers, No. 10 cans of food for shelter sites, juice, soda pop and mineral water.

Toiletries – Soap, shampoo, lotion, feminine hygiene products, Depends undergarments, shaving cream, razors, antiseptic gel hand rub.

Tools – Hammers, crow bars, shovels, work gloves, paint brushes, rollers, large garbage bags.

Clothing – New undergarments and socks.

Batteries, flashlights, candy and cat food.

Currently, the Salvation Army is not accepting used clothing, furniture, blankets, towels and toys.

Here are numbers for donation hotlines:

American Red Cross: 1-800-272-2684.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and North Dakota Division of Emergency Management have established a donation coordination hotline at 1-800-809-1450.