Today Kyle and I met with Shoko-san and Shoichiro-san, two of the Japanese members of our effort, to discuss a number of subjects, among which were ideas for initial projects for our effort. We all feel like we should start getting some of the money we've collected so far (about US $1700) out the door and into efforts to help people, and while some of our more ambitious projects will require more money and more time to get going, there are things we can do in the short term. Here are two ideas for things we'd like to do in the next week or so:
1.)Deliver a shipment of clothes, books, and basic educational supplies to families with school-aged children who are currently living in shelters. We have some clothes collected already and are working on getting books and supplies now, with a view to transporting them out to shelters in Ishinomaki by early next week.
2.)Helping to re-stock the Kesennuma mobile library (bookmobile). It was hit by the tsunami and while the vehicle itself seems to have survived, the books inside did not; donating some books to it will be a good, easy way to provide people in one of the most heavily stricken areas of Miyagi with access to books over the next several weeks and months.
We will begin working on more extensive projects once we collect a bit more money and identify people most in need and how to help them. We will also be updating the website with additional features aimed at letting people know how much money we've collected and how it's being used, including a donor registry and photos from current projects. Keep following the blog for updates!
-Greg
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