Readers, I need your help. I just received an e-mail from Hurricane Katrina relief volunteer Nora Craig. She’s a small-business owner in Franklin, N.J., who led the effort for her city to “adopt” the devastated town of Lumberton, Miss. She has heard from another small town in need of help and is sending out an S.O.S.:

Hi Michelle,

I am an aid coordinator for the Katrina effort. My entire community jumped in with me and we adopted the town of Lumberton Mississippi.

I have been working with Lumberton for a month now getting to know the people. My adoped town is inland a ways and as we ship aid to them they have been sharing with towns harder hit south of them.

Yesterday my distribution contact in Lumberton got a call from Pearlington for help. He and the pick up truck brigade took what they could to Pearlington. He called and said to me “Nora, is there anything you can do for those folk? It’s the worst I have seen. They have 300+ people sleeping on the ground on their football field. The whole town is just flattened. ”

…This small town needs someone to adopt them so they get some attention.

I have kicked what ant hills I can in Mississippi Municipal League and elsewhere but more is needed. I don’t know how to blog and get word out via web media. I’ve been using telephone and fax.

CAN YOU HELP ME get this poor town adopted and get them help. Their population is only about 1500. They are the small whistle stop no one will care about unless we can get the word out they are in dire need.

They are right across the water from New Orleans. I am so distressed that N.O. gets all the media and the little towns get nothing. Please can you help me find a way to raise visibility to the plight of the small Mississippi towns?

If you’d like to help Nora, send me an e-mail (malkin@comcast.net) and I will put you directly in contact with her. Thanks!