New Orleans, La., Jun 26, 2010 / 05:10 am
Though the valiant work of Catholic Charities in New Orleans was going on before the BP oil spill, their work is being noted across the nation, including with the appearance of their clients in a new Spike Lee film.
Catholic Charities has set up an oil spill response center in New Orleans to assist those who have been impacted by the oil slick in the gulf. Some of the people who are receiving their assistance are Vietnamese-American fishermen who have been left unable to ply their trade. The fishermen are also going to appear in a new film directed by Spike Lee.
Lee was in the New Orleans area while making a documentary about how the area is recovering from Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city five years ago. He is including the impact of the oil spill in his project.
Lee had the chance to interact with Catholic Charities clients, as well as volunteers from around the nation. One such volunteer was Thao Tran. Tran is Assistant to the Mayor of Seattle, Wash. He spent a week in New Orleans helping out at Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation.