Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Mississippi/Louisiana border as a Category 4 storm on August 29, 2005 and entered history as the most destructive and costliest natural disaster ever to hit the United States. With Katrina's official death toll across Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia topping 1000 and over one million people displaced, the United States has experienced a humanitarian crisis on a scale unseen since the Great Depression. Cornerstone's corporate office, located near the Mississippi/Tennessee state line, joined local communities, churches, businesses and shelters to help the tens of thousands of evacuees fleeing into North Mississippi and the Memphis area. Families who lost everything were met with open arms, a warm meal and a place to stay. As children enrolled in local schools, Cornerstone contributed by donating school supplies. Families with little children, stranded in shelters, shed tears when given teddy bears to hug and the right-size diapers donated by Cornerstone...all items taken for granted before Katrina arrived.

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Along with the nation, Cornerstone and its nationwide locations responded strongly and emphatically to the evacuees' needs by donating time, money, gift certificates, food, bottled water, school supplies, linens/towels, pet food/supplies, diapers/baby care items, toys/stuffed animals, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies and clothing to numerous churches, organizations and shelters. Employee contributions seemed endless...some coordinated blood drives with Lifeblood, some cooked meals for evacuees stranded in local hotels, some volunteered to help search websites for lost loved ones, some assisted with pet rescue efforts and some collected and distributed truckloads of donated items. The numbing ferocity of Katrina will remain with affected families for a very long time. Cornerstone continues to collect much-needed items and support local shelters, churches and organizations. For those who were affected...for those who lost everything...reach out. We can all make a difference in someone's life.