Joe Bays and Darcy Moen, owners
of the website www.equipment4.u
s , like most across the
globe, are shocked by the damage hurricane
Katrina caused. As soon as clean up is
completed, rebuilding homes, businesses
and lives can begin. In an effort to assist
cleaners whose plants and businesses may
have been severely damaged or completely
destroyed, Joe and Darcy have volunteered
the use of their website to help dry cleaners
locate equipment to rebuild their plants,
as well as assist those who wish to offer
(new or used) equipment directly to cleaners
affected.
If you are a Cleaner, Supplier or Equipment
company!
If you have surplus equipment that you
no longer need, or have new or used good
quality equipment you wish to somehow
place in the hands of a cleaner in need,
please consider listing it on www.equipment4.u
s in the special area set aside for
Katrina Cleaners 4 Cleaners Project. You
may set whatever price you want for your
items, all we as is that you keep prices
reasonable and fair. The proceeds from
the sale of this equipment is yours, but
if you feel compelled to make a donation
of some (or all) of the money, please
consider a charity of your choice, or
the Red Cross.its up to you.
If you are a cleaner in the devastated
area, and are in need of equipment to
rebuild your plant!
If you are a cleaner in the affected area,
and are in need of equipment to rebuild
your plant, please go to http://ww
w.equipment4.us/tinyurl/f and check
out equipment offered in the Katrina Cleaners
4 Cleaners Project area. Only cleaners
located within the affected States will
be able to purchase this equipment. If
you know a cleaner who has been severely
affected by hurricane Katrina, please
direct them to this website.
All Listing Fees are being donated to
the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund!
All listing fees charged to list equipment
on our website will be donated to the
American Red Cross for Hurricane Relief.
We have secured the assistance of Becca
Anderson to act as an independent Auditor
to confirm all listing funds are forwarded
to the Red Cross . Should you feel compelled
to make a donation (or wish to donate
the proceeds of the sale of your surplus
equipment), we have included a direct
link to the Red Cross donation website
on the home page of www.equipment4.u
s
Please pass the word of anyone you know
who may have surplus equipment in their
plant, or any equipment supplier who may
wish to help in whatever way they can.
More importantly, if you know a cleaner
in need of equipment to rebuild their
plant, please direct them to this website,
specifically to the Cleaners 4 Cleaners
area reserved for their needs.
A direct link to the website is included
here:
http://ww
w.equipment4.us/tinyurl/f
We hope that in some small way, all our
efforts will help alleviate a very dire
situation, and get folks back on the road
to recovery.
Joe Bays and Darcy Moen
www.equipment4.u
s
ASPCA
disaster relief fund.
Evening Update, September 7
As reported by Sandy Monterose of the
ASPCA’s National Outreach department,
ASPCA staffers have teamed up with others
from organizations such as American Humane
Association, Spring Farm CARES (NY) and
the Houston SPCA, under the leadership
of the Louisiana SPCA, to take to the
flooded streets of New Orleans searching
for abandoned pets. Working on a grid
system, the five teams of three rescuers
each waded through waist-high, fetid water,
pulling boats loaded with equipment and
supplies, successfully avoiding injury
on fallen tree limbs and downed power
lines. This hot, sticky, frustrating day
netted 25 cats, 14 dogs, one pet snake
and a gentleman who been overlooked by
earlier rescuers. (Land and water rescues
totaled 140 animals on Tuesday, and they
expect to retrieve 200 on Wednesday as
more of the water recedes.) Rescue crews
were pleasantly surprised to find the
animals in relatively good condition,
having been left adequate supplies by
their fleeing owners.
At one home, rescuers came upon a pit
bull chained to the front porch. As they
neared, a frail man in his seventies came
out of the house, and said he was fine
but gratefully accepted all the dog food
the team had with them. The authorities
were coming for him tomorrow, he said.
Your Generosity Continues
Because of your generosity, we are able
to send an additional $150,000 to the
Louisiana SPCA for their work in Gonzales,
LA. They are currently caring for 350
dogs and 150 cats at this staging area
north of New Orleans. An additional 600
animals are being housed at Louisiana
State University in Baton Rouge. More
than one thousand animals have been relocated
to Houston, TX, where the Houston SPCA
has opened up a third staging area in
a vacant car dealership.
Attention Horse Lovers
The famous carriage mules of the French
Quarter, along with 65 other horses, have
been removed to safety. And the New Orleans
mounted police unit safely got out all
their equine partners. They are currently
stabled at the Franklinton, LA, fairgrounds.
With a Little Help from their Friends,
Texas Style
Texas Animal Control Association (TACA)
mobilized a number of animal control units
with experienced field personnel from
all over the state to head to New Orleans
to round up more abandoned pets and strays,
reports Cathy Clark, TACA executive secretary.
James Bias, executive director of the
SPCA of Texas in Dallas, reports that
after having taken in hundreds of animals
to ensure that the Houston SPCA had room
for evacuees' pets, his organization did
a record 315 adoptions last weekend. (All
of these animals were turned in for adoption
or were picked up as strays before Hurricane
Katrina.)
Read
more about how the ASPCA has team has
teamed up with local organizations to
rescue pets here.
American
Red Cross - you can specifically
earmark you donation for Hurricane Katrina.
Red Cross Shelters
More than 650 shelters have been opened
in 17 states
Evacuees Sheltered
More than 159,000 survivors
Relief Workers
More than 32,000 trained workers from
50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands
Emergency Vehicles
More than 270 Emergency Response Vehicles
(ERVs)
Feeding
More than 5.4 million hot meals and 5.5
million snacks to-date
(Red Cross in coordination with the Southern
Baptist Convention)
Salvation Army Serving Storm
Survivors with Food and Shelter in 30
States
The Salvation Army has served over 740,000
meals in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi
alone and is beginning to serve survivors
in 30 states across the country. We thank
you for your generous support. A $100
donation to The Salvation Army will feed
a family of four for two days, provide
two cases of drinking water and one household
clean-up kit, containing brooms, mops,
buckets, and cleaning supplies. Donate
now...
To all my Colleagues;
Will we be shamed? DrycleanersRelief.com
is currently attempting to work with The
Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Southwest
Drycleaners Association (Louisiana and
Mississippi), Minnesota Drycleaners Association
and local business owners in our area
to establish a Relief Fund for the victims
of Hurricane Katrina.
It is estimated that over 250 Dry Cleaners
and 1000-1500 "Employees" and their families
were affected by this catastrophic event.
The "Help Our Cleaners" fund is not just
for the business owners, but for their
"employees" as well, who our the backbone
of our existence. The Plant managers,
the spotters, pressers, assemblers, csr's,
drivers and others who play a vital part
in our industry. Many of them we're working
for low wages, have no insurance and have
lost it all. No income, no home, just
the clothing on their back; and some have
undoubtedly felt the sorrow and lost of
a love one, family or friend.
The news and video feeds that are being
broadcast on our television sets are shocking.
I ask the question; "Is that man or woman,
that's been on the roof for four days
a presser, a spotter, or a driver? " As
we sit in the comfort of our offices,
one cannot help but wonder, if it was
my business, or my "employees", what would
I do? What could I do? When we give alone,
it seems so little, especially when there
has been so much lost and is now so much
of a need.
Please forward, or copy and paste this
letter to everyone in the industry; business
owners, vendors, suppliers and anyone
that you know, who would want to help.
Print and share with your employees, call
your competitors down the street or create
flyers for your customers as well. I truly
believe that the heart of every dry cleaner
across this country appreciates our "employees"
more than we sometimes show. The "employees"
in my plant have already started a collection.
From one dry cleaner to another; let's
show them we care. Together we can make
a difference!
Will we be shamed by our colleagues?
If you would like to join us, I welcome
you!
Thanks
Dan L Gray Sr - Site Administrator
651-336-5897 I
want to help now...
http://www.DrycleanersRelief.com
webmaster@drycleanersrelief.com
And if one of these doesn't suit you
CNN.com
has a list of reputable sites to donate
to.
