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Gumbo Crew gets help from local elem. schools

New Orleans native Billie Anderson said she can hardly believe what has happened to her hometown as she listens to news reports and watches footage showing the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

“It has been horrible. Everything I grew up with is gone. It has just been horrible,” said the Braelinn Elementary school counselor who graduated from Tulane University and taught in Jefferson Parish, the West Bank and Kenner.

Anderson’s determination to help the victims of the hurricane is what is keeping her emotions in tact these days. She, along with neighbor Erin Chaisson, a native of Norco, La., who also has children at the elementary school, have teamed up their efforts to help a Louisiana disaster relief group called the Gumbo Crew.

Founded by Chaisson’s brother, Shawn Bradley, the Gumbo Crew fed Louisiana gumbo to emergency workers at ground zero following the 911 terrorist attacks. Bradley got the idea for the Gumbo Crew after he saw rescue workers eating hamburger after hamburger.

“I thought these people needed gumbo. I know what gumbo does for me when I’m stressed,” Bradley said. “A bowl of gumbo does me good.”

The Crew fed more than 3,000 people bowls of free gumbo in the days following the attack. The group returned to New York two more times that October and December to offer free meals to hungry workers helping with the cleanup as well as any citizen who wanted to try some authentic Louisiana cooking. In the years following 911, the group has stayed active feeding meals to military personnel and assisting victims following other hurricanes and tropical storms.

After Chaisson learned that her brother, his family and home had weathered Hurricane Katrina and were fine in Norco, preparations began to initiate the Gumbo Crew in order to get supplies and food to those who had lost everything. Working with Anderson, the two Louisiana natives recruited parent volunteers at the school who would be willing to drive trucks of food down to Chaisson’s brother’s home over the Labor Day weekend. Then, she got an unexpected surprise. Chaisson’s little brother Jarred, who works for Whole Foods, told her that his company had agreed to send an 18-wheeler full of food to Norco.

“I just want to cry. This is incredible, I can’t believe it,” said Chaisson.

Now that the food is taken care of, Anderson said the focus is on getting other basic necessities to the hurricane victims. Last Friday, Sept. 2, the mayors of Kenner and Norco announced that they were desperate for batteries and waterless soap. As soon as Anderson got to school, she quickly collected monetary donations from the staff to purchase items to fill three trucks that were leaving from the school that morning for Louisiana. Also the students and faculty at Robert J. Burch Elementary sent over $800 that was added to the donations for the purchase of supplies.

“It is just incredible that this school was able to raise that much money in such a short time. I really appreciate what they have done,” said Anderson.

In the coming weeks, Anderson said the school plans to send another caravan to Louisiana loaded with supplies. She has solicited the help of other elementary schools in the school system to assist in gathering needed items that will be sent to Louisiana as well as the Red Cross shelter in Newnan. Anderson is waiting hear what items are needed most by the refugees before the collection begins.

“I should know by next week what the needs are. Everyone is eager to help but right now I’m just telling everyone to wait until I can get a list of needs,” she said.

In the meantime, Anderson said the Gumbo Crew is going to need numerous volunteers to help them feed the hungry and disseminate items to displaced victims. Those interested in volunteering their time to travel to Louisiana to help out can contact Anderson at Braelinn Elementary, 770-631-5410.

Anderson’s family no longer lives in Louisiana but she still has friends scattered throughout the state as well as Mississippi and Alabama. She had been concerned about two friends, Blake and Ann, who live in Slidell. Anderson and some other friends had been desperately trying to get in touch with them but to no avail. Then, just out of the blue, a newspaper in New Orleans had interviewed Ann and written an article about her and her family's rescue from her rooftop on the north shore of Lake Pontchatrain.

“The home was destroyed but everyone is OK. To the best of our knowledge they are in a shelter there in Slidell,” said Anderson.