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• Feinberg Public Meetings: BPSOS staff participated in all town hall meetings held by Claims Administrator Kenneth Feinberg across the Gulf region (Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi) to engage with the key decision maker and obtain the most updated information about the new claims process. At these meetings, Mr. Feinberg praised BPSOS’ service to the community, and invited our collaboration with his office as well as nomination for qualified candidates to serve on his appeals panel.

• Gulf Oil Spill: Tracking the Claims - River of paperwork, trickle of checks (Press-Register)
• Volunteers In the Gulf: As part of our national initiative to bring volunteers to the Gulf Coast to assist local communities in need, we are hosting our first group of 5 volunteers from Seattle, Washington. They will be visiting all three BPSOS Gulf Coast branches next week to observe, document, and assess the community needs as well as participating in ongoing relief activities on the ground. These volunteers will highlight these needs within their respective communities and help raising funds to assist our Gulf Coast operation.
• Building public-private partnership: At the invitation of the US Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center, BPSOS participated in their non-profits reception event in New Orleans on Monday, August 16 to share our Oil Spill work portfolio and network with other active non-profits in the region and business leaders.
• Strengthening regional communications system and legal services program: BPSOS Communications Manager Shandon Phan and BPSOS Legal Services Manager Irene Recio were dispatched to all of our three offices in the Gulf region to support our local operations and build new partnerships. They attended various community events and meetings, including situation assessment meetings with OCA, JACL and other pan-Asian advocacy groups from Washington DC. 
• Watch videos: English | Vietnamese
• JACL, OCA and APIAVote Visit Gulf Coast Communities Affected by Oil Spill
• Food Distribution: BPSOS, in partnership with Bay Area Food Bank, continues our food distribution operation, with the next two events taking place in BLB and Biloxi on 8/26 and 9/1 respectively. 
• Oil Spill Troubles Multiply Within Vietnamese Fishing Community
• Video: More than 200 people affected by oil spill stand in line for food giveaway (Press-Register)
• Providing Direct Assistance:  Through our offices in New Orleans, Biloxi and Bayou La Batre, BPSOS continues to assist community residents on various services ranging from food stamp applications, unemployment benefits, BP claims, Vessels of Opportunity, immigrations, general translation and interpretation, Medicaid, Social Security Incomes and healthcare.
• Oil Mess Leaves Gulf Vietnamese Jobless, Prey To Scams (Bloomberg News)
• Lack of translators makes oil spill claims process arduous for Southeast Asian immigrants (Press-Register)
• A ministry of caring: Providence Hospital's outreach services helps in Bayou La Batre through mobile clinic (Press-Register)
• Next Week: BPSOS Executive Director Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang will be visiting the Gulf Coast next week to meet with local partners and volunteers to discuss on-going effort in response to the Oil Spill disaster.  He will also conduct town hall meetings in Biloxi, BLB and New Orleans to update residents about various programs, strategies and on-going advocacies at the highest level to assist residents recovering from the oil spill disaster. 

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Founded in 1980, BPSOS is a national community organization operating at 18 locations across the United States. BPSOS empowers individuals, strengthens families, and builds communities through Direct Services, Advocacy, Media, Community Development and Organizing, and Research. For more information, please see www.bpsos.org.

Press Contact:             Shandon Phan  |  703-647-6462  | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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