Lion Brand Yarn Customers Donate Blankets to Hurricane Katrina Victims in Hancock County Mississippi

Necaise, Mississippi — Much of the area around the town of Necaise in North Hancock County, Mississippi still looks like a war zone. This is one of the areas that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina last year. As the money from federal relief efforts in the area begins to dwindle, families are turning to other sources for aid. The North Hancock Recovery Center is in desperate need of warm blankets and other household goods, for the 250 to 300 families that visit their facility daily. Working with the Lion Brand Yarn Company (http://www.lionbrand.com) a call for donations went out to 365,000 subscribers to Lion Brand's online newsletter, asking for warm blankets and other household necessities. So far the facility has recevied about 250 boxes of blankets and other supplies. Last Friday the local UPS man in Necaise delivered 41 boxes of hand knitted and crocheted blankets to the recovery center, along with other essential household goods, that had been generously donated by readers of the Lion Brand Newsletter.

With no other relief facility within 40 miles of Necaise, the North Hancock Recovery Center has become an essential resource for families in the region. "For many families in the area, money from federal relief checks has run out." said Gay Ladner, a volunteer at the recovery center. "There are few jobs in the area, and most of the donation we are getting now are from churches, international aid services and companies like Lion Brand Yarn."

Hancock County residents are also looking for volunteers to help them rebuild. There are not enough carpenters, plumbers or electricians in the area to fulfill the demand. Many families still live in tents. Some live in RV trailers supplied by FEMA that have beds, but no queen size sheets to fit them. Blankets and warm clothing are also still in short supply. The North Hancock Recovery Center would like to encourage concerned individuals, corporation and organization to make donations or volunteer to assist the residents of Hancock County, Mississippi by contacting Gay Ladner at 1-228-234-8899.

About Lion Brand Yarn
The Lion Brand Yarn Company is a 128-year-old family owned business and is America's oldest hand knitting yarn company. Lion Brand feels very strongly that they have an obligation to their community to support socially responsible endeavors. In the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Lion hosted a large charity auction on eBay and donated all of the winning bids to Americares. Annually, Lion donates tens of thousands of dollars to charitable organizations and endeavors around the world. The Lion Web site hosts the single largest database of charity organizations involved with yarn crafts on the Internet. This service alone allows hundreds of thousands of customers and the public to find charitable organizations that they can work with and contribute to. Throughout its history, Lion Brand Yarn has been at the forefront of yarn trends while consistently providing its customers with the highest quality products, services and inspiration.

For More Information Contact :

Ilana Rabinowitz
Lion Brand Yarn
ilana@lionbrand.com
1-201-804-3999

Gay Ladner
North Hancock Recovery Center
ejl822@aol.com
228-234-8899