Gulf Oil Spill: 6 Ways You Can Make a Difference

Help out food banks. Finding it hard to make ends meet, a number of shrimpers, fishing outfitters and other coastal residents are turning to food banks. Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is soliciting donations of food, money and time. The Bay Area Food Bank, serving the central Gulf Coast, needs volunteers to sort and inspect groceries daily in Mobile, Ala.

Watch birds. The National Audubon Society has signed up more than 30,000 volunteers — although only a fraction of them have been deployed in the field. An Audubon Volunteer Response Center opened recently in Moss Point, Miss., to keep volunteers in the loop.

Limited opportunities include basic tasks. Volunteer photographers and filmmakers may also get occasional assignments to help document the effects of the disaster.

More in demand are skilled amateur birders, who are needed to help monitor the effects of the spill on returning migratory birds, said Mark Lasalle, director of the affiliated Pascagoula River Audubon Center. The Audubon Coastal Bird Survey aims to gauge the effects of the spill on bird life along the Gulf, making it the newest of the society’s “citizen scientist” programs.

Provide pro bono legal assistance. Residents affected by the spill will most likely face a complex legal process, including filing (or appealing) damage claims. Once disbursement of the $20 billion compensation fund is mapped out, legal aid groups anticipate a need for volunteer attorneys to consult with low-income residents and to lead community workshops. To volunteer, call the Mississippi Center for Justice at 288-435-7284.

Give money. Cash donations to aid long-term recovery are appreciated. But beware: With disaster comes charity relief movements, and with charity relief movements comes, unfortunately, scam artists. If you make an online donation, be sure the website ends with ".org," not ".com." A good place to go is CharityNavigator.org, which sifts through charities to evaluate their legitimacy. Your best bet may be to check whether national charitable organizations you normally support have a program targeting Gulf recovery. Or you can donate to the Greater New Orleans Foundation, which is channeling 100 percent of donations to groups aiding Gulf communities.

Take a vacation. Just as New York City needed tourist dollars to help rebound after 9/11, and New Orleans after Katrina, so does the Gulf Coast need visitors now. Innkeepers, restaurateurs and seafood suppliers have seen their businesses put at risk. By helping them, you’ll help the region recover.