http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-lagive2sep02,1,7173636.story?coll=la-headlines-nationBy Caitlin Liu, Times Staff Writer
Forrest Walker watched the horrors of Hurricane Katrina on his television set and decided he couldn't continue sitting at home.
So the Park La Brea software developer called a local American Red Cross office and asked to be sent to the Gulf Coast as a disaster-relief volunteer.
"A lot of people have been really good to me in my life," said Walker, a 51-year-old independent contractor who said he canceled three jobs Thursday to volunteer for a month on the Gulf Coast at an emergency shelter. "It's time to pay back."
As aid money for hurricane victims poured in by the tens of millions, an increasing number of people like Walker are offering a helping hand.
"Volunteer efforts right now are sorely needed," said Nick Samaniego, a spokesman for American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. "It's going to be a long-term relief effort. There's pretty much something out there for everyone to do."
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