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Bay Area Extends Helping Hand At Weekend Katrina Benefits

Published: Sep 11, 2005

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ST. PETERSBURG Donations for Hurricane Katrina victims flowed across the Tampa Bay area on Saturday, as groups set up benefits as small as carwashes and as big as "The Largest Sleepover in Texas."

In St. Petersburg, Stephanie Steele and Bobbie Shay Lee organized the Florida site for the "sleepover" -- a daylong benefit to collect items such as sleeping bags, pajamas, underwear, socks and pillows for the children displaced to Texas.

The nationwide event is being organized by Christus St. Joseph Hospital in Texas.

"These children left their homes, they have nothing, so it's to create some sense of normalcy and fun for them," Steele said.

As of 3 p.m., about 90 people had stopped by to donate. Those interested in donating items can do so by calling (813) 368-3635 or (727) 365-8043.

Several blocks away, Scott Palacheck and his carwashing crew scrubbed dirt off vehicles to aid the American Red Cross. As of 1 p.m., they had raised about $160. Lowe's Companies Inc. will match the amount collected, Palacheck said.

As more cars arrived at the CVS pharmacy at 845 Fourth St. N., Connie Schuster, 44, approached Palacheck to offer her services.

"I need to try and start doing something," Schuster said, beginning to cry.

Schuster is from New Orleans. She and her two Labs, Maggie and Mabel, lost their home and are staying with Schuster's sister in Tampa. Saturday, she was looking for a new home when she stopped by the American Red Cross tent.

In the lobby of radio station WQBN, 1300 AM, on Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Michelle and Ignacio Duarte dropped off clothes, food and a playpen.

The Duartes go online regularly to read reports on Hurricane Katrina. They said they go to the donation links and decided they would make a trip to the radio station with their two daughters, ages 3 and 2.

The station is among many collecting for the victims of Katrina. In the lobby were cases of water, suitcases filled with donations and boxes of food.

"How can you not help these people after seeing what happened?" Ignacio Duarte said, carrying bags of baby clothes. "We've been through Hurricane Andrew ... and this is worse."

On Dale Mabry Highway, Glenn Freeman and 20 volunteers with Hearts of Tampa Bay Disaster Relief loaded four moving trucks in the Mission Bell Shopping Center with food, clothing and water for victims in Mississippi.

Over the Labor Day weekend, Freeman and eight volunteers drove trucks to Gulfport, Miss., to distribute supplies at a county park. Their return trip will take them back to the region this week.

The criticism of federal agencies over the speed of response to Katrina motivated him to ask friends and co-workers for help again.

Hearts of Tampa Bay will accept donations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at the same parking loton the northeast side of the intersection of Dale Mabry and Fletcher Avenue. They are in need of baby food, powdered baby formula and water.

"It's a salve for the moment," Freeman said. "And we're going back to hopefully fill some of that need."