Toxic drywall puts end to Catholic Katrina program

NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Operation Helping Hands, the Catholic ministry that
employed thousands of volunteers to rebuild nearly 200 homes after
Hurricane Katrina, said Wednesday (Sept. 7) it will shut down next
summer, sooner than expected, because of its disastrous encounter with
toxic Chinese drywall.

"Simply, we didn't have the funding to stretch it any further," said
Kevin Fitzpatrick, director of Helping Hands. "And the biggest issue
was, we got hit with Chinese drywall."

Fitzpatrick said officials with the Archdiocese of New Orleans have
decided to spend their remaining money, about $2 million, gutting and
rebuilding 41 homes tainted with toxic drywall.