...but relief efforts in general. I was reading this news article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050913...HNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

and then I was run over by a sudden idea. Don't know why it didn't occur to me before, but I suppose it's just one of those things that one learns from experience.

Here's something that doesn't really involve bureaucracy, red tape, or crap like that.

Make a pre-packaged relief kit:
1 gallon of bottled water
1 package of disposable razors
1 can of shaving cream
3-4 cans/bags of non-perishable food, preferably from the different food groups
2 rolls of toilet paper
1 package of menstrual pads
3-4 packages of women's, men's, boys, girl's underwear
1-2 activity books for kids (differing ages)
1 activity book for adults (crossword/word search/sudoku style things)
1 package of pencils
Other items you may think of on your own, and you feel you can afford

Leave it in a not horribly out of the way place in your house. Every month, swap out the food/water (yes, despite the label "non-perishable", they do have a shelf life); get new stuff, eat the other stuff yourself.

The next time that there's a horrible natural disaster (and there will be a next time, you know there will be), drop off the package at your preferred relief agency.

Edit: threw this at a couple of friends of mine, fishing for critiques. One thing that was pointed out to me is that shipping a package like this is expensive for relief agencies; so, this is a good idea for something local, but if you're not in nearby the impacted area, relief agencies would probably prefer a cash donation, so they can buy supplies more locally. Cuts down on the shipping problem.

Another critique is oriented towards my intent: this is *not* an emergency reparedness kit. I deliberately left out things ike a flashlight, el-cheapo portable radio, and spare bateries in order to cut down on costs & weight. Also, the amount of food and water really isn't more than what will be sufficient for one person for one day. This is more in the nature of what used to be called a CARE package.

BTW, does anyone remember where that acronym comes from?

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