Gumbo and Beer Become Tools to Aid Oil-Spill Victims

Gumbo, lemonade, and beer are being used to raise money for victims of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, USA Today writes.

The nonprofit group Environment America started a campaign to urge supporters to hold gumbo parties to raise money for Gulf Coast fishermen whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the spill. The organization said the parties have raised about $13,000 to date.

A Dallas woman is using Facebook to urge children to donate money from summer lemonade stands to the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and the Abita Brewing Company, in Louisiana, will give a share of the sales of a new beer, SOS (for Save Our Shares), to help out-of-work oystermen and pay for clean-up efforts.

The president of Catholic Charities USA, the Rev. Larry Snyder, told a congressional subcommittee Tuesday that only “a trickle” of aid is reaching families in need of emergency help, reports The Times of Shreveport, La.