Evacuees brought to city by Perez get $1,000 gifts

UNION-TRIBUNE
September 16, 2005

Families displaced from the Gulf Coast and brought to San Diego by a Carmel Valley businessman almost two weeks ago each received a gift of $1,000 yesterday.

The money was delivered to 33 families staying at a downtown San Diego hotel, and three more families will receive the money by today, said Linda Hutkin-Slade, with Jewish Family Service of San Diego.

She said the money will be used for food, clothes and other necessities.

The nonprofit delivered the money on behalf of businessman David Perez and his staff, who arranged for the evacuees to be flown to San Diego.

Perez raised the money from private donations and groups such as the Michael and Karen Stone Family Foundation and the 2 Life 18 Foundation. Financial advisers from the Urban League and Union Bank talked to recipients before the money was delivered.

The families that qualified for the money had to be among the original 82 evacuees whom Perez brought to San Diego on Sept. 4, Hutkin-Slade said.

Hundreds more have come to San Diego County on their own since then. The American Red Cross has processed 1,282 Katrina evacuees since Sept. 5.