Thought for food

One level this is sort of depressing:

Many people [in N.O.] are living in gutted homes and have no means of preparing their own meals, said [Debra South] Jones, who lost her eastern New Orleans home to Katrina.

"We found that for a lot of people, the only meal they get is the lunch that we provide. So we tried to find a way to give them another meal," said Jones.

On the other hand, it's good to read that Jones's organization, a food bank called Just The Right Attitude, is involved in the efforts to help those people. It's "one of several United Way partner agencies that have made changes to their programs to meet the needs of those affected by Katrina," according to this T-P story, which ends:

In this post-Katrina era, the United Way is supporting only programs that are most effective in delivering results that positively impact the community through relief, recovery and rebuilding.

In the past, the fund made annual allocations to agencies, but it now makes short-term grants to programs and services that meet priority needs.

The United Way's $20 million fund-raising campaign kicked off in August and continues through March. The agency hopes to raise $14 million locally and $6 million nationally.

For information about donating, call (504) 827-6824 or log on to www.unitedwaynola.org.