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The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

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Teacher seeks supply donations for hurricane victims

Foods teacher Leigh Cambra is calling on the Paly community for donations on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

In an email to Paly staff sent Thursday afternoon, Cambra explained that her lifelong friend, truck driver Jimmy Dulaney of Gulfport, Mississippi is in town to unload his semi and hopes to fill his truck with sorely needed survival items for residents of his home city in Harrison County.

“We need larger items like sleeping bags, blankets, boxes of food [and] bottled water, diapers, etc.,” Cambra wrote.

Dulaney, whose family has evacuated their badly damaged but erect house, plans to leave for Mississippi on Saturday at noon.

Although the semi truck will not be able to enter Gulfport, “[Dulaney] can shuttle things in with small trucks from another town, so large, easy to carry items are best [to donate],” Cambra noted.

People wishing to donate may drop supplies off in Cambra’s classroom, located in portable PS3 until Friday at 3 p.m. After that time and before 10 a.m. on Saturday, donations should be directed to Thomas Transfer & Storage, located at 2195 Leghorn Street between San Antonio Road and Rengstorff Ave. in Mountain View near Costco, where the truck will depart from.

Student Activities Director Joann Vaars is sending out a version of Cambra’s request on the Paly Link, Cambra said. Since Cambra has heard from people who would like to help but are unable to respond with such short notice, she said she is planning to solicit donations for similar truck deliveries in the future should the opportunity arise.

According to City-Data.com, Gulfport is a city of approximately 72,000 (Palo Alto hosts roughly 58,500 people, by comparison) located directly on the Gulf Coast only 73 miles east of New Orleans. The San Jose Mercury News and Associated Press (AP) report that Harrison County, MS is suffering from rampant looting, overtaxed jails and unhygienic conditions, not to mention a dearth of necessary medical and food supplies as well as gasoline. Mississippi has confirmed 126 people dead as of Thursday night (Pacific time) and expects rising casualties.

"Everyone thinks all the looting and unhealthy conditions are in New Orleans, but it’s in other places, too," Cambra said. "New Orleans is horrible, but the other [affected areas] have problems, too.

"At least [the other cities] aren’t sitting in a huge lake," she reflected.

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