For the past couple of months we've all been bombarded with the Gulf - news is constantly turning to the oil spill, the animals, the environment, the economics, the politics, the anger of the residents - and it has profound effects on our perception of this place given the term "the Gulf". Since Hurricane Katrina we've seen images of loss, heartbreak, and poverty from this region along the southern coast. It can skew one's point of view about the health and vibrancy lost with the most recent disaster in that region.

Because of the recent history of loss in that region, many people native to the area have had ill health effects, both mentally and physically, that they were already fighting against - the mold from the receding waters in the hot August heat causing respiratory problems, the unhealthy and inhospitable temporary housing, relocation stress, post-traumatic stress...just to name a few. Now those who stayed after that round of problems are facing oil stench-related gastrointestinal and skin problems, economic woes, their home lands being discolored and destroyed. And emotionally, they see their local wildlife drowning in tar-like filth, a state bird they struggled to get back being wiped out of their nesting grounds, endangered turtles they've struggled to protect burned alive.

But there is a seed a hope for the people of the Gulf. As much as people played a role in destroying the lives they know, people are trying to rebuild them as well. There are a number of charities and organizations striving to save both the people and the animals of the Gulf. Organizations like the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS). I mention this one because this is the one I know at the moment. Let me tell you about that and why it made me write this entry.

I mentioned awhile back that I was trying to make time to contribute to a towel/cloth drive to help clean birds and turtles along the Gulf. The IMMS was the organization that the charity drive was to benefit. The drive was organized by CraftHope, a grassroots community of crafters who decide on a project and then work together to achieve some charitable end. Well, they had no idea what they were getting into when they started Project 8.

Out of the unending compassion of people all over the world, they have collected more than 15,000 towels in 1 month, as well as tubs full of Dawn soap. This is more than the IMMS can use. So they're now attempting to obtain funds to store and distribute the towels to coastal wildlife agencies and refuges from Texas to Florida (there's a full garage in Pensacola, FL and so collection has moved to Austin, TX, and a delivery is being made this week to Gulfport, MS).

This surge has also pushed them to begin the paperwork on obtaining non-profit status. For the crafters who organized and collected as a way to give back in their free-time, this has turned into a full-time job, and they suddenly require funds when they didn't before. They've had towels promised and delivered from around the globe. It is truly a breathtaking display of human compassion for the environment other humans so easily destroy.

Because this has mushroomed so quickly the ladies behind CraftHope project 8 cannot provide receipts of donations for tax deductions, but they are seeking sponsors and donations to help with the cost of storage and delivery. If you know of a business interested in such an association, or if you'd like to give for the sake of giving, the information is available in this post at their website.

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Alicia is not affiliated with IMMS or CraftHope. It's simply a cause she agrees with and wants to help.