The Chronicle, 10/6/2005: Donations to Help Hurricane Victims Taper Off at Some Charities

The Chronicle, 10/6/2005: Donations to Help Hurricane Victims Taper Off at Some Charities: "Donations to Help Hurricane Victims Taper Off at Some Charities

By Elizabeth Schwinn

After the initial outpouring of giving to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, donations to some of the nation's largest relief charities have slowed substantially, even as the Gulf Coast recovers from its second major hurricane, Rita, which caused a wide swath of damage along the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

At the same time, however, housing charities and other groups involved in longer-term aid say donations are still coming in at a rapid clip, as donors and the news media shift their attention to recovery.

More than $1.7-billion has been raised to date, an increase of about $500-million over the previous two weeks. And even though gifts are slowing down for some charities, the overall response is record-setting: It took more than a month for nonprofit groups to raise $1-billion after September 11. More than $2.2-billion was eventually raised in response to the terrorist attacks."