NHR Employee Joins Relief Effort in Louisiana
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., September 8, 2005 – Network Hardware Resale (NHR) today announced that it has contributed $40,000 to assist in relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Melissa Ellis, an NHR employee and trained Red Cross Disaster Services volunteer, has been deployed to Louisiana to assist in the relief efforts.
“Hurricane Katrina has left a path of unspeakable devastation and our thoughts and prayers are with all the families that have been impacted by this disaster,” said Chuck Sheldon, President and CEO of Network Hardware Resale. “NHR is responding with cash donations to leading organizations that are providing much needed relief and helping the victims begin to put their lives back together.”
NHR’s donation will be divided among three charities including the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and The Salvation Army which are providing food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to hurricane victims. NHR has also donated funds to Habitat for Humanity’s “Operation Home Delivery,” a program that will help families rebuild homes and get back on their feet as the effected regions begin to recover. More than $14,000 of NHR’s gift was contributed by its employees and matched by the company.
“I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our employees. We are extremely proud of Melissa Ellis who is in Louisiana now helping people find the food, shelter and other resources they so desperately need,” continued Sheldon.
Melissa Ellis, a sales representative at NHR’s Santa Barbara headquarters, flew to Louisiana on Sunday, September 4 to join the relief effort. Ellis is a trained Red Cross Disaster Services volunteer who has also put her skills to work locally aiding victims of a Santa Barbara-area fire earlier this year.
“I got involved with the Red Cross and took the Disaster Services training because I wanted to be able to help people,” explained Ellis. “This is the first time I’ve joined relief efforts in another region. I’m uncertain what the next 10 days will bring – this is such a huge tragedy with so many people in desperate circumstances – but I know that I am needed and my efforts, along with those of thousands of other volunteers, will make a big difference.”
