volunteering after Katrina

[cybildisobedience]

Just found out that my employee might allow for some time off to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, and I'd like to do something more than donate and bitch about Bush. Not sure, though, exactly where the time could be best spent.
I went to few sites and found plenty of volunteer opportunities in both Louisiana and Mississippi listed, but they also had some suspicious organizations lumped in, like Bush's bogus Freedom Corps, and Pat Robertson's Operation Blessing.
Maybe I should already know this stuff, but does anyone out there have any suggestions for really legitimate, genuinely helpful organizations or programs out there that I can volunteer about one week for? I'm willing to travel down there and pay own expenses, etc., and just don't want to be snookered into some bullshit "Homeland Security" fraud.
Any suggestions welcome....

[Liberal Veteran]

1. I volunteered, but my job postphoned my trip to NOLA until next week...

Which makes me sad.

[cybildisobedience]

2. may I ask where?

and how? through what org?

[Liberal Veteran]

3. My job is sending me down there to provide medical assistance.

But the current batch of volunteers that went down there all decided to stay an extra week, so my trip was postphoned.

[BOSSHOG]

4. Thank you very much and may I suggest

that instead of coming down here now, you log on to redcross.org and send them a few bucks. I live in Mississippi, about 50 miles northeast of New Orleans and volunteers are rather plentiful now, however a month from now might be an outstanding time to offer your services. THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your volunteer spirit. We will be back up and running again thanks to people like you.