[vox] Computer Donation to Baton Rouge! ON THE MOVE!!!!!!

[Ben TImmons <bwtMAPSimmons@ucdavis.edu>]

Hi all:

We finally had some breakthroughs and we need to get the first 50 PC's together, palletized and out the door!

This morning I connected with an officer of the California Air National Guard, based out of Moffett Field who thinks he might be able to get our stuff airlifted to Baton Rouge. Another person has offered to drive these in a rental truck as well. 

I think these are positive enough developments for us to get moving and to make this really happen.  I suggest we pick up the PC's from VMTH and have Bargain Barn put out a call for more. 

The pilot said he'd like to see a bigger load, maybe 100 systems set to go in early December.  His commanding officer would be more amenable to "large".  He also says he can take 4 foot pallets, but the Guard likes 8-foot pallets. These fuel tankers live in the giant blimp hangers at Moffett AFB so you can get an idea of size.

I am on email  at drben54@earthlink.net and on cell at 916-599-3838.

UCD employees need to seek from their supervisors approval to  participate (That means me too! :-) ) in this project on work time, otherwise let's keep it to lunch and after work.

What we need now is to put out a call for the PC's, connect them with the palletized CRT's in the bargain Barn, load the Linux distro software and test the machines before packing onto pallets.  We may need to use parts to make some of them work better.

It's taken a while to push this rock and get it rolling down a hill but I think we can now go ahead. 

Please cross post this to other universities and businesses in the area as well as all LINUX USER GROUPS and computer clubs within 100 mile of Davis.  I suppose we also need to figure a way people can donate money to Nancy Jo's organization to help pay for some of these costs.  It would also be nice to have a volunteer from up here on the ground to oversee setup and logistics in Louisiana.

Please let me know any other ways you want to help or any thoughts you may have.

Finally, this project is going to be very big very quickly, if it takes off.  We need to form a small Steering Committee to keep this going.  I very quickly will lose control of it otherwise.

Many thanks,

BEN

PS  Here is a copy of the original Call from Nancy Jo Craig.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council is a 501 (c ) 3

(tax id # 721315510) in Baton Rouge, La. Our web site is www.cacrc.com which describes our normal operations. Since the hurricanes we are trying to fill the needs of displaced non-profits and families with computers. Our goal is to refurbish and distribute 1000 computers by early December.

 

Here is our original request for computers:

 

The Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council (CACRC) is a non-profit electronic recycler/refurbisher currently helping in the Hurricane relief effort. The demand is ever growing for computers. Displaced non-profits from New Orleans and the southern parishes are in need of computers for start-up. Shelters from Louisiana and Mississippi are asking for computers and there will be a long term need for displaced families to have computers in their new homes. The FEMA trailer parks will need to have technology available as well.

The CACRC would like to be able to provide at a minimum 200 computers to non-profits, 300 to 500 to shelters around the region (we had a request for 100 today), and another 500 for displaced families. We have ~ 100 computers on hand.

We can use Pentium II and up with working monitors. Our warehouse can upload and download pallets of equipment. The CACRC can provide a letter of donation to any donor requiring one.

 

Thanks for your assistance in this. Help down this way is deeply appreciated. We are in this for the long haul.

 

Nancy Jo Craig

Executive Director

CACRC

225 379-3577

-- 
Ben Timmons
Computer Resource Specialist
Sociology Department
University of California at Davis
One Shields Avenue, Hum Soc Sci Room 1288
Davis, CA 95616

bwtimmons@ucdavis.edu
(530) 754-6855 (voice)
(530) 752-0783 (facsimile)

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