The Private Sector Must Help

I got this email today from my good friend in the glamorous world of publishing. The point being that everyone can roll up their sleeves and do something...so in addition to other things, I am posting letter number two this week...

The private sector must help. Relief is too slow and the agencies dedicated to the relief can't get supplies to the survivors fast enough. I'm suggesting a write-in campaign to corporations to ask for their on-going help.

Today I wrote to some celebrities who are actively involved and asked them to spread the word. I also wrote several diaper and formula companies as well as underwear companies. I will continue to include food, medicine & clothing companies. I have urged my company to send children's books to the shelters and to offer our trucks for shipping critical items. Please spread the word to all that you know and ask them to dedicate some time to write to these companies. Please write to everyone you think will spread the word- local papers, local government, interested celebrities and so on.

Sample letter to Proctor and Gamble:

Each day we can see that the survivors of Katrina need diapers and formula for their babies -needs so critical and so basic that it puts human suffering in a sobering light. Please make a generous donation AND please offer your customers a way to purchase these items (at a discount) to send to the relief centers. Please consider setting this up and using your trucks to send the products into the needed areas. Your PR people could easily spread the news about this program through the media. Please do this. Please.

Sample Letter to Hanes:

Each day we hear that the survivors of Katrina need socks and underwear - a need so basic that it puts human dignity in a sobering light. Please make a generous donation AND please offer your customers a way to purchase these items (at a discount) to send to the relief centers. Please consider setting this up and using your trucks to send the products into the needed areas. Your PR people could easily spread the news about this program through the media. Please do this. Please.

Thanks all, let's pitch in.