Common Ground Collective, Food Not Bombs And Occupy Movement Form Coalition To Help Isaac & Katrina Victims

The Common Ground Collective, Food Not Bombs, and Occupy have come together to aid the Common Ground Health Clinic and set up mobile kitchens to feed those left in need by both Hurricane Isaac and Hurricane Katrina. PLEASE DONATE!

A ground breaking coalition of activists from the Common Ground Collective, Food Not Bombs, and Occupy have come together in a Relief Effort to aid not only the victims of Hurricane Isaac, but also the nearly 10,000 people who remain displaced from Hurricane Katrina. Occupy activists are using a communications platform called InterOccupy, that combines conference calls, discussion boards, email listserves, rss feeds and social media links to organize the efforts of the coalition.

Occupy activists are urging Occupy camps nationwide to organize donation drives to collect staple food goods and medical supplies. A partnership with Continental Expedited Services, a trucking company, will allow food collected in food drives nationwide to be distributed to those in need in New Orleans through Occupy Distribution Hubs being set up in several cities throughout the SouthEast. Occupy Distribution Hubs are operating in Jackson, MS; Tuscaloosa, AL; and Birmingham, AL. Tonight, drivers will transport the first load of aid from Jackson, MS to Occupy NOLA. Aid collected by camps nationwide will be routed to the Common Ground Clinic and Occupy NOLA.

An online Fundraising campaign has also begun with the establishment of a We Pay Account which has raised over $600 since its launch yesterday evening. These funds are to be used to facilitate the transport and delivery aid collected and purchase needed supplies for those in need. Any unspent funds will be donated to the Common Ground Clinic, and a full accounting will be provided by organizers to donors. Activists expect donations to increase as word gets out about their coalition.

The Common Ground Clinic was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by activists from the Common Ground Collective and provides medical services to those in need in the New Orleans area. The clinic was left undamaged by Hurricane Isaac and is expecting an influx of diabetes patients needing insulin over the next couple of days. Occupy Activists have been working to fulfill this need.

The timing of the storm could not be worse for the low income residents of New Orleans. Although the Red Cross and FEMA will take care of those worst hit by the Hurricane, much of the city survives on subsistence wages and were waiting for their paycheck at the beginning of the month. With food already low in their pantries and power outages spoiling what was in the refrigerator, many residents have told the Common Ground Clinic that they are in need of food. “Even if they were not going to have to wait for their paychecks for a couple of weeks, the stores are closed,” pointed out a volunteer. In order to fulfill this need Rainbow Kitchen Activists, Food Not Bomb Activists, and a local organization, Community Kitchen, have begun to organize mobile kitchens. Tomorrow the first public feeding by this coalition will begin in New Orleans.

The Common Ground Collective fulfilled a special need in the Post Katrina clean up, gutting flooded houses of mold and rot. Activists who participated in this cleanup are organizing to provide similar services during the Isaac cleanup.

This historic coalition of grassroots organizations is continuing to grow and includes Portlight, Common Ground Collective, Common Ground Clinic, Food Not Bombs, Occupy NOLA, InterOccupy, Occupy the Stage, and Community Kitchen.

LINKS:
Donation Page: https://www.wepay.com/donations/occupy-nola-donation-fund-for-hurricane-isaac
Interoccupy Hub: http://interoccupy.net/occupyisaac/
Twitter Handle: @occupy_isaac
Common Ground Clinic: http://www.commongroundclinic.org/j15/
Common Ground Relief: http://www.commongroundrelief.org/home
Food Not Bombs: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/
PortLight: http://portlight.org/
Community Kitchen: http://communitykitchen.okcancel.org/

PDF of this document: http://interoccupy.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Isaac-Press-Release.8.31.12-A.pdf

For Press Inquires Please Email: isaacpr@interoccupy.net