Urgent Relief Needed for Tamil Nadu Tsunami and Earthquake Victims

dear friends & family,
thank you for all your letters of concern & outpourings of love. i am truly grateful that i have all of you in my life & cannot even begin to express how much it means to me to start this new year by simply being able to thank each one of you for being there. james & i are in varkala, kerala at the moment & totally safe & sound. our hotel is atop a cliff face overlooking the beach & it is almost (almost!) as if the tsunami didn't hit here. but it did. & people were affected. & we are still working out what we can do to help while at the same time working out how to go on with our trip. there was a surreal quality to our new year's eve. i'm not sure quite how to describe how i'm feeling exactly except to say that i am overcome with both sadness & joy at the same time. my whole day yesterday was spent in the waves. i couldn't get out of the water. struck by awe & wonder. in a strange way i think i have been making my peace with the ocean. tomorrow we are heading to kollam which was hit harder by the tsunami & i've contacted the organization i've working with in gujarat to see if they can use my help while i'm in the south...we'll see. otherwise, james & i are attempting to help with money & clothing donations & also by simply being tourists in a tourist economy. i've pasted a letter from lakshmi that lists ways that you can help if you're able.
i am wishing you all a safe & happy new year that will hopefully be filled with much more joy than sorrow.
i'm really really sorry that i haven't been blogging or even sending out many updates but this trip has overwhelmed me a bit & i hope that at some point i'll be able to send out something poetic. i keep saying it will be soon & then it's later already.
ciao.
love,
ish

----Original Message Follows----
From: "Lakshmi V."
To: ish
Subject: For ish kundawala, Urgent Message

Please forward this urgent appeal to all your friends and relatives.




Urgent Relief Needed for Tamil Nadu
Tsunami and Earthquake Victims



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http://www.foodrelief.org



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Dear friends and devotees,

Jaya Sri Rama. Please accept my humble pranams.

We are all very saddened about the terrible devastation that has fallen on our brothers and sisters in South India and other parts of the world.

In response to the recent tsunami, the Bhaktivedanta Ashram is arranging a team of volunteers in Tamil Nadu to begin relief work to help the victims. Relief activities are expected to begin on Thursday, December 30th. Within several days an additional team of volunteers from our Orissa ashram will join them to provide further relief supplies including basic necessities for children and their families. Due to the long term effects of this disaster, the Bhaktivedanta Ashram plans to open a permanent relief center in Chennai so that relief activities can continue even after the immediate media attention dies down. With our past experience of the Orissa cyclone in 1999 we know that such disasters lead to long term difficulties for the victims that continue even after the relief organizations leave. With that in mind we are planning to maintain our relief center in Tamil Nadu permanently so that we can continue caring for those in need, especially the children who are affected by this disaster.

Reports indicate that the death toll in India has reached over 12,500 so far, with children accounting for up to a third of all the dead. Health reports state that the spread of disease could kill as many people in the coming weeks.

In such a situation with millions of displaced people suffering in need of food and clothing it seems an impossible task, but we should not let this discourage us. Let every one of us help in whatever little way we can.

We humbly request all those with sufficient means to donate towards the tsunami relief work in Tamil Nadu. To donate by credit card you may visit our website and enter your donation through our secure server:

http://www.foodrelief.org

Donations may also by sent by check made payable to "Bhaktivedanta International Charities" with the words 'Tamil Nadu Relief' in the memo field:

Bhaktivedanta International Charities
P.O.Box 34153
Los Angeles, CA 90034
United States of America

I would like to again thank all of our friends and donors who have contributed towards our projects in the past and request everyone to offer whatever service they can, regardless of how small, to help this urgent cause.

Yours in service,

Jahnava Nitai Das,
Bhaktivedanta Ashram &
Bhaktivedanta International Charities
http://www.foodrelief.org

How you can help:

The following are among the aid agencies accepting contributions for those affected by the earthquake and tsunamis in Asia. Contact the individual group for information on how to send donations.

American Jewish World Service

45 West 36th Street

New York, NY 10018-7904

800-889-7146

www.ajws.org

American Red Cross

International Response Fund

PO Box 37243

Washington, DC 20013

800-435-7669

www.redcross.org

CARE USA

151 Ellis Street NE

Atlanta, GA 30303

800-422-7385

www.careusa.org

Catholic Relief Services

PO Box 17090

Baltimore, MD 21203-7090

800-736-3467

www.catholicrelief.org

Direct Relief International

27 South La Patera Lane

Santa Barbara, CA 93117

805-964-4767

www.directrelief.org

Doctors Without Borders

PO Box 2247

New York, NY 10116-2247

888-392-0392

www.doctorswithoutborders.org

The First Church of Christ, Scientist

Tsunami Relief

175 Huntington Avenue

Boston, MA 02115

617-450-3205

International Orthodox Christian Charities

PO Box 630225

Baltimore, MD 21263-0225

877-803-4622

www.iocc.org

International Medical Corps

11500 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 506

Los Angeles, CA 90064

800-481-4462

www.imcworldwide.org

Oxfam America

26 West Street

Boston, MA 02111-1206

800-776-9326

www.oxfamamerica.org

Mercy Corps

PO Box 2669

Portland, OR 97208

888-256-1900

www.mercycorps.org

Operation USA

8320 Melrose Avenue, Ste. 200

Los Angles, CA 90069

800-678-7255

www.opusa.org

Source: Associated Press