For Immediate Release:
September 4, 2008
Contact: Kristina Hill
704.806.1511
khill@insp.com
Inspiration Ministries and Convoy of Hope Respond To Hurricane Gustav
Much-needed relief supplies are being delivered to residents in the Gulf Coast.
Indian Land, SC – On the heels of the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Inspiration Ministries and Convoy of Hope once again are responding to the devastation of Hurricane Gustav, which has left flooding and more than one million Gulf Coast residents without power in its wake.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the residents of the Gulf Coast,” said David Cerullo, Chairman and CEO of Inspiration Ministries. “Together with our partner, Convoy of Hope, we are seeking to reach out with practical help to meet the urgent needs of the people in this region. I encourage everyone to join together in compassion and generosity to help them through this difficult time.”
Convoy of Hope president Hal Donaldson says that the organizations are prepared to meet the basic needs of tens of thousands of Gulf residents. “Our trained personnel, corporate sponsors, church partners, and individual donors will once again link arms to meet the needs of a significant number of people, just like we did following Katrina and many other disasters.”
U.S. Disaster Response personnel from Inspiration Ministries and Convoy of Hope currently are working with state and county officials in both the Mississippi and Louisiana Emergency Operations Centers. Additional Disaster Response Team members waited out the storm in Jackson, Miss. on the night of September 1st.
On Tuesday, September 2nd, the Inspiration Ministries-Convoy of Hope team pushed further south, setting up and distributing aid to victims from a Point of Distribution (POD) in New Iberia, LA. Fourteen cars filled with hurricane victims followed the Convoy of Hope eighteen-wheeler, fording the flooded entrance at the POD site to receive much needed help. From here, the organizations will serve the hard-hit areas of Houma, New Iberia, Lafayette, La and other areas as needed. The organizations also are receiving many requests for assistance and relief products from hospitals and other entities in the area as they continually monitor the situation and look at the potential need to set up additional PODs. Eager to serve, volunteer teams are coming from across the country to offer assistance.
To help Gulf Coast residents through Convoy of Hope, please visit http://www.inspirationtoday.com/onlinegiving/relief.aspx and make an online donation. Corporate and private partnerships allow Inspiration Ministries and Convoy of Hope to multiply every dollar donated to about $7 of actual relief product; $6,000 can fill an eighteen-wheeler with relief product, serving upwards of 7,000 people.
Inspiration Ministries and Convoy of Hope have been active in the Gulf Coast since Katrina devastated the area in 2005.
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About Convoy of Hope:
Since 1994, Convoy of Hope™, a nonprofit organization, has provided resources to organizations and churches to meet physical and spiritual needs for the purpose of making the community a better place. This is accomplished through domestic and international outreaches, supply lines, and disaster response.
About Inspiration Ministries:
Inspiration Ministries is the parent company to The Inspiration Networks, which are available in more than a billion homes worldwide through its various distribution platforms, including its Internet Broadband site (www.inspiration.net) and three satellite and cable TV networks: INSP - The Inspiration Network; Inspirational Life Television (i-Lifetv); and Inspiration Network International (INI). The Inspiration Networks also operate “Inspiration Video On Demand,” the first inspirational platform for cable television video on demand (VOD) delivery; and “Inspiration Global,” providing broadband video content in the four major trade languages – French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Please visit www.inspirationtoday.com for more information.