"Cash donations are especially helpful to victims," Brown said. "They allow volunteer agencies to issue cash vouchers to victims so they can meet their needs. Cash donations also allow agencies to avoid the labor-intensive need to store, sort, pack and distribute donated goods. Donated money prevents, too, the prohibitive cost of air or sea transportation that donated goods require."

Volunteer agencies provide a wide variety of services after disasters, such as clean up, childcare, housing repair, crisis counseling, sheltering and food.

Here is a list of phone numbers set up solely for cash donations and/or volunteers.

Donate cash to:

American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English,
1-800-257-7575 Spanish;
www.redcross.org

Salvation Army
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
www.satern.org or
Operation Blessing
1-800-436-6348

Mercy Corps
www.mercycorps.org

Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund
www.bushclintonkatrinafund.org

America's Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070
www.secondharvest.com

For Pets: Humane Society of the United States
1-800-HUMANE-1
www.hsus.org.

Donate Cash to and Volunteer with:

Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171
www.nadadventist.org

Catholic Charities, USA
703 549-1390
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org

Lutheran Disaster Response
800-638-3522
www.elca.org

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
800-872-3283
www.pcusa.org

Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief
1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440
www.sbc.net

United Methodist Committee on Relief
1-800-554-8583
gbgm-umc.org

To Provide School Supplies, Clothing, Items of Comfort To Children:

Backpacks Of Hope
backpacksofhope.org

To Offer To Shelter Evacuees In Your Home:

www.hurricanehousing.org

shareyourhome.org

neworleans.craigslist.org/ccc/

To Contact A Loved One:

Red Cross Missing Persons Site
1-877-LOVED-1S
www.katrinasafe.com

You can place a health and welfare request with the Salvation Army if you're having trouble reaching a family member in the area ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Go to this site: www.satern.org.