By now, we all know how devastating the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is becoming. Just turn on the evening news or switch on news radio and you’ll hear the updates about the latest attempt to stop the oiling leaking from the damaged Deepwater Horizon oil rig.  According to NPR, the best case scenario is that only a little over 60 million gallons of oil will be spilled into the Gulf of Mexico daily; in the worst case scenario, over 140 million gallons a day.  It seems the news only gets worse as the days pass.

By now, you are probably asking yourself, “How can my family help and make a difference?”  Well here are some ideas how you and your family can do good and help with the oil spill cleanup efforts:

Volunteer

Several organizations around the the Gulf Coast are recruiting volunteers to help with locating distressed and oiled birds and other wildlife on area beaches, assisting with efforts to clean oiled wildlife and cleaning up oil on beaches.  CNN has comprised a list of these local organizations on their website.  Included in the list are The Audubon Society, The National Wildlife Federation, the Alabama Coastal Foundation and Save Our Seabirds.  For the complete list, click here.

Donate

Monday night CNN and Larry King Live hosted a Disaster in the Gulf telethon.  When asked why funds are being raise when BP has been told that it is their responsible for reimbursing the costs of oil spill clean up and business losses in the gulf region, Ryan Seacrest responded:

“The aim was to raise money that could go to helping people straight away, because it can take a long time to cut through bureaucracy to get money to the people who need it.”

Another celebrity getting in on the act is Steven Colbert.  Through The Colbert Nation, he created The Colbert Nation The Gulf of America Fund.  The goal of this fund is to raise money to create a general fund from which grants will be made to nonprofit organizations that work with the people and wildlife affected by the oil spill.  Click here to make a donation to The Gulf of America Fund.

Send Them Your Hair & Pet Fur

Did you know that hair, pet fur and other natural fibers soak up oil?  Of course you do … that’s why you need to wash your hair.  What you might not know is that you can donate your clean hair, pet fur and old clean nylons to Matter of Trust who turns these items into oil absorbing booms to sop up petroleum in the water.

This is the perfect opportunity to recycle and reuse all the hair, fur and nylons you have in your home.  And if you are like most moms and cut your kids hair yourself, this is a great way to help and get your kids involved in the process. Groom your pets at home to save money?  You can send Fido’s fur along too.

In addition, consider spreading the word about this unique charity to your own hairdresser or pet groomer.  Visit the Matter of Trust programs page here for even more ideas. Print out a Hair Program flyer to distribute to local businesses and your church congregation or access the Teacher Demo Page for educational materials to share with your kids.

With so many different ways to do good, finding a way to help that fits best with what you and your family have to offer is easy.

PLEASE NOTE:

Oiled wildlife should not be captured but instead reported to the Deep Water Horizon response team at 1-866-557-1401. Please report areas with oil ashore at 1-866-448-5816.