Hurricane donations collected locally

BANGOR – The old pickle jar on the counter at the downtown cafe simply says “Help” in bold, black letters.

Below the words are taped newspaper photos of the chaos left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.

Those images and the desire to help neighbors halfway across the country spurred Lunchbox Cafe owner Anthony Francis to put out the pickle jar seeking disaster relief donations.

A neon decorated donation jar also sits by the register at C&K Variety in Levant, and countless others are popping up around the state to help refugees of the country’s most devastating storm on record.

“Not only do the people [of the Gulf Coast] need financial support, but they also need emotional support,” Francis said Saturday. “If I didn’t have a restaurant, I would have gone down there.”

A donation from Maine, no matter how big or small, will demonstrate to residents affected by the disaster that people in this New England state care, he said.

“The Lunchbox Cafe challenges all other businesses in the downtown community to do the same,” said Francis. “Every little bit counts.”

The pickle jar won’t be emptied until it’s full, the restaurant owner said. If other businesses decide they want to join Francis with their own relief efforts, the naval reservist said he’s willing to set up an account at a local bank to collect the funds into one pot.

“It started with $5 from my pocket,” Francis said.

In Levant, the donation jar could have a long life on C&K’s counter, crew chief Scott Badger said Saturday.

“We’ll probably just leave it out and get as much as possible,” he said. “We might also put up a sign that asks people to donate blood.”

The idea for the jar came from store manager Jen Noe, Badger said.

“She wanted to show [that] we support what’s going on down there,” he said. “We put it out three days ago, and there’s probably $10 to $12 in there. People are donating their change.”

The funds raised in Levant will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and the pickle jar funds from the Lunchbox Cafe are heading to The Salvation Army.

The massive devastation of Hurricane Katrina means all money raised locally from collection boxes will come in handy, said Rayna Leibowitz, chief of the Maine Emergency Management Agency planning division, who was serving as operations officer on Sunday.

“That grass-roots level of support is so important,” she said. “One of the things that will be needed are responsible collection points in the community.”

When a collection box is set up, the county’s director of emergency management should be contacted so it can be documented, Leibowitz said.

Other businesses or organizations that have organized relief efforts for the hurricane include:

. University of Maine in Orono, which will have several collection points set up across campus so employees, students and visitors can donate to the relief efforts, starting Tuesday. Dropoff locations will be posted Tuesday at www.umaine.edu. The Web site also has links to national sites where individuals can make donations.

. WBZN Z107.3 in Brewer will host “Cashmanathon” starting at noon today. The fundraiser will place announcer Dan Cashman on the air for 60 hours straight while the radio station accepts donations over the phone. Inquiries or donations can be made to Cashman by calling him directly on the station’s request line, 991-9600.

. Hannaford Supermarkets has established a fundraising program at each of its 145 stores where customers can donate any amount they choose at the registers until Sept. 17. The funds will go directly to the Red Cross.

. Wal-Mart stores in Bangor and Brewer have donation boxes in their entryways and will split the funds raised between the Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

. Patten Methodist Church will hold a benefit spaghetti dinner 4-7 p.m. Sept. 10. The supper, sponsored by the church’s Bible study group, will include spaghetti, coleslaw, garlic bread, cookies, lemonade and iced tea. Donations will be accepted at the door.

. Tri Town Baptist Church and I-Care Ministries of Millinocket are hosting “Operation Love in Action” and have two trailers, one in the I-Care parking lot at 45 Spring St. and one at the East Millinocket Fire Department, to collect nonperishable food, clothes and money for food. The first truckload will go to Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, Miss., and will leave Friday. A man from Sanford has volunteered to take the donations to the Gulf Coast.

. The Sports Complex in Hampden is donating all rental fees from the complex from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, through Monday, Sept. 5, to the American Red Cross. Fees are $100 an hour for the big field, and $75 for the small field. For information, call 862-5050.