AFA Disaster Relief 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

To date, thousands of pounds of seed, pellets and supplies have been sent to many people in the parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina.  Matt Schmit, AFA South Central Regional Director, is still coordinating relief efforts in these areas; however, the AFA has individuals in the affected areas who are carrying out the relief efforts. The AFA Disaster Relief could not have been possible without the numerous donations that have been made by many, many individuals and companies.  The AFA would like to thank each and every one of you who have contributed to this effort.

The American Federation of Aviculture, Inc. (AFA) has established a Disaster Relief Program to assist aviculturists who have been affected by natural events such as hurricanes, wild fires, earthquakes, etc. Disaster relief is available to provide immediate and short term assistance to aviculturists and their birds.

AFA Disaster Relief Updates

Louisiana:
To date, thousands of pounds of seed, pellets and supplies have been sent to many people in the parts of Louisiana that have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. Matt Schmit, AFA South Central Regional Director, is still coordinating relief efforts in this area; however, the AFA has individuals in Louisiana who are carrying out the relief efforts. These individuals are Jeanne Castiex (AFA State Coordinator for LA), Terry and Loretta Perez (Gulf South Bird Club and AFA delegates) and Janice Boyd, Ph.D. (AFA Research and Conservation Chair). If you are in need of assistance in these areas, please contact:

Matt Schmit
aves75@loriinae.com
713-862-3352

Jeanne Castiex - Greater New Orleans
jfcasteix@aol.com
504-833-4241 or 504-874-0637

Terry and Loretta Perez - South Louisiana
tbirds@mobiletel.com
985-665-3902 or 985-632-5016

Janice Boyd, Ph.D. - North Shore Area 
jboyd46@charter.net
985-646-0283 (home) or 228-688-3854 (work) or 985-290-5085 (cell)

Alabama and Mississippi:
The AFA has a supply truck being driven by Rick Jordan and Jean Jordan (no relation) in the areas of Mississippi and Alabama that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Rick and Jean are currently (as of 9/16/05) working their way back and forth between the warehouse with AFA’s supply of donated relief items in Alabama to the affected areas of Alabama and Mississippi.  They are following several routes that are open to travel.  Rick and Jean are in constant contact with Regional Directors Matt Schmit and Nancy Speed and Specialty Vice President Margrethe Warden, as well as carrying a cell phone. If you are in need of assistance in these areas, please contact:

Matt Schmit
aves75@loriinae.com
713-862-3352

Nancy Speed
MSPPATCH@aol.com
662-673-8100

Margrethe Warden
birdbrain@mindspring.com
770-277-6782 (home) or 678-296-1892 (cell)

These AFA Disaster Relief efforts could not have been possible without the numerous donations that have been made by many, many individuals and companies. The AFA would like to thank each and every one one of you who have contributed to this effort. A complete list of donors and contributors will be made available soon.

If you would like to donate money to the Disaster Relief Fund, you may do so using the donation form at the top of this page, or you may send a check to the American Federation of Aviculture office at:

American Federation of Aviculture
Post Office Box 7312
Kansas City, MO 64116

Or, if you would like to donate via credit card by telephone, you may contact the office at 816-421-2473.

Thank you in advance for your help and concern for our fellow
aviculturists in their time of need.