Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief

August 30, 2005 — Looking to ways to help people in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi cope with the aftermath of Katrina?

The National Restaurant Association has teamed up with the American Red Cross to offer some options.

The Disaster Relief Fund enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, providing shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year. Please consider choosing from the options below and align yourself with the No. 1 charity for disaster victims in the United States and throughout the world:

Make a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund -- the best way to help, allowing the Red Cross to provide relief most efficiently.

Implement the "Your Help Counts" customer donation program -- Be recognized as a business leader in the community by serving as an official Red Cross donation site for customer contributions during a highly visible relief operation. "Your Help Counts" is a turn-key program designed for simple implementation within 24 to 48 hours.

Implement a percentage-of-sale promotion to support Red Cross relief efforts and position your restaurant as a leader in answering the call for help.

Implement an Employee Giving Campaign -- Illustrate to your employees that you care about the communities in which they live. The American Red Cross can work with you to provide a convenient way to encourage employees to join you in supporting the Red Cross by donating through our secure online donation site.

Include a Red Cross Bill Insert in mailings -- a great way to help Red Cross reach out to your customers while gaining goodwill for your company by linking your business to the business of saving lives.

Place a banner ad on your restaurant's Web sites and allow your customers to donate through the Red Cross's secure online donation site.

Donate or sponsor ad space -- maximize your advertising dollars by aligning with the Red Cross and helping appeal to the public for support.

Consider making a personal financial donation by calling 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or by visiting www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html.

For more information, contact the National Restaurant Association's Community Relations Department at (202) 331-5900 or the Red Cross at 1-800-435-7669.