The first opportunity for Craftsman Fabricated Glass employees, customers and suppliers to help rural hurricane victims came Monday in the form of Vickie Stewart, president of the Texas Glass Association, and her husband Sammy, who, along with their neighbors, elected to stay put despite a certain month-or-two power outage. The Stewarts also became generous hosts to a large number of houseguests who, like they, were on the receiving end of a direct hit by Hurricane Rita on its journey through Jasper, Texas.

The items sent on the first relief truck to them included: generators, gasoline for generators, water, batteries for radios and flashlights, charcoal, matches, propane canisters for lights and camp cookers, packaged food, powdered milk, Gatorade, bread, juices, bleach for water, anti-bacterial hand wipes, garbage bags, paper towels, toilet tissue, soap and shampoo. The only "back-ordered" items will go on the Tuesday truck ... hearty fruits, oil lamps and lamp oil.

Although initially expected to hit Galveston and Houston, the hurricane veered east to Beaumont, Port Arthur, east Louisiana, and roared north from there. Craftsman sent out requests to employees, friends, customers and suppliers to donate unused survival items, and many of those items were available for the first truck. Knowing that FEMA and the Red Cross will be operational shortly, Craftsman will see that these items are delivered to victims during this first critical week.

Donations are still needed, and the time to act is now. Any glass shops that might have a working generator that can be spared, or gas cans, hygiene items, such as toothpaste and brushes, and more of the items listed above, may drop them off through Thursday at Craftsman Fabricated Glass, located at 4822 Southerland Road in Houston 77092, phone 713.353.5800.

An additional truck will be sent to Nederland and Beaumont on Tuesday, and this relief effort will continue through Friday. Anyone who is a Craftsman customer, in Austin for example, may have donated items picked up by route trucks -- for re-delivery to the devastated areas. Please have those items ready for pick-up at the regular delivery site only, please. This service, because non-profit organizations will be up and running by the weekend, ends Thursday, September 29. Please understand that donated items will not be returned.

Why should we do this? Because glass people CARE.