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UPDATE: Kiosk industry responds to Hurricane Katrina

The Gulf Coast has a long road ahead as it works to rebuild itself after the damage done by Hurricane Katrina. This blog will follow kiosk and self-service companies that are working to make a difference in the lives of those affected.

September 19, 2005

[Editor's note: We'll update this page as we learn of new and enhanced efforts from kiosk industry companies to provide aid to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. If you know of such an effort, please contact editor James Bickers and let him know the details.]

September 19, 2005 - PROVISIO donates SiteKiosk licenses

According to chief executive officer Heinz Horstmann, PROVISIO has donated four SiteKiosk software licenses to Highland Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Ky., which is setting up a computer lab for displaced residents from the Gulf.

September 14, 2005 - SurferQuest offers kiosk software at no charge

Donald Mothersbaugh, vice president of sales for Philipsburg, Pa.-based SurferQuest, has gotten in touch with us to say that his company is willing to donate its Internet kiosk software to anyone that is providing free kiosks for the relief effort. If you are interested, you can get in touch with Don by email.

September 13, 2005 - Wal-Mart helps hurricane victims get what they need to survive

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - More than 1,300 Hurricane Katrina victims have signed up for items they need through a new hurricane gift registry at Wal-Mart stores and online at Walmart.com.

"So many friends and family members want to help hurricane victims in a tangible, personal way, and this registry is helping," said Pam Kohn, senior vice president for Wal-Mart. "Storm victims list items that they really need, and friends or family members can buy items for them at our stores or online." The registry opened last Thursday.

Storm victims register for items by visiting a gift registry kiosk at Wal-Mart Supercenters and discount stores in the U.S., or online at Walmart.com. Friends or family members who want to purchase items for storm victims can go to the gift registry kiosk at Wal-Mart stores, or click on "Gift Registry" at Walmart.com. They enter the name of a storm victim and select the items they wish to purchase. Items purchased online can be shipped directly to the recipient; items purchased at stores must be shipped by the sender.

The company has set up an Emergency Contact Service that allows Wal-Mart associates and customers to post messages and search for loved ones at in-store kiosks, Walmart.com, walmartfacts.com, walmartstores.com, samsclub.com and walmartfoundation.org websites. More than 41,000 people have accessed the message board.

Wal-Mart also donated more than 150 computers to Red Cross Shelters, giving access to evacuees to communicate through the Internet. As of Monday, Wal-Mart had dispatched 2,500 trailer loads of water and emergency supplies and products to the affected areas, including more than $3 million in donated merchandise to relief shelters and impacted areas.

Wal-Mart has donated $17 million in cash to aid emergency relief efforts, including $15 million to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, $1 million to the Salvation Army and $1 million to the American Red Cross.

September 13, 2005 - JCM donates $30,000; member association adds $50,000

LAS VEGAS - JCM American's worldwide offices have joined together to donate $30,000.00 to the Gaming Industry Katrina Relief Fund. JCM's offices in Osaka, Hong Kong, Sydney, Düsseldorf, London and the U.S. all joined in the effort to assist the hurricane relief effort. Established by the American Gaming Association, the goal of the fund is to provide disaster relief and assistance to affected gaming employees in Mississippi and Louisiana.

JCM is also a member of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM), which is donating $50,000.00 to relief efforts.

September 10, 2005 - Red Cross uses kiosks to help Katrina victims connect

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Red Cross has set up approximately 200 Internet kiosks at its evacuation centers, in order to help families reconnect. Jim Forrest, who is overseeing the Astrodome computer center, said the Katrina relief effort included the widest-ever spread of computers and Internet access to disaster victims. "Of course we've got more victims now, so the Web is the way to go," he said.

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September 6, 2005 - Coinstar facilitates Red Cross donations

The San Francisco company Coinstar has been making it easy for consumers to turn their spare change into serious cash since it placed its first coin-counting kiosk in 1992. For most of those years, users have been able to donate some or all of the counted money to various regional and national charities.

In response to Hurricane Katrina, Red Cross has been added to Coinstar's list of national charities.

"The vast majority of our 12,000 supermarket locations offer the donation feature," said George White, regional public relations manager for Coinstar. In addition to national charities, retailers can customize the devices with regional charities of their choice.

White said the machines are popular with charities like UNICEF that base their fund-raising on coin collection, and are likewise ideal for neighborhood programs trying to raise money for Katrina relief.

"Our machine best fits the scenario where schools do fundraising drives and collect change, because then they can just go down the street to their supermarket and donate the money," he said.

September 2, 2005 - Kiosks.org, Digi International offer wireless tech

Digi International manufactures a modem that works wirelessly over the cell phone infrastructure. Digi is willing to donate hardware and is working to get cell companies to donate access so that those displaced by the hurricane can communicate over the Internet via kiosks, at no charge.

Kiosks.org Association is seeking hardware suppliers that will donate equipment to facilitate this free service. It has been suggested that Internet-access kiosks coupled with the Digi hardware and a power source would work miracles. Any system that could be locked down and secured should work equally well since no funds are being collected.

Please contact executive director Greg Swistak immediately if you would like to help with this worthwhile cause.

August 31, 2005 - ATMIA collects donations for Hurricane Katrina relief

BROOKINGS, S.D. - The ATM Industry Association is distributing donations from the industry to the Red Cross to assist those affected by Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States in decades.

According to a news release, ATMIA has established the nonprofit Education and Development Foundation, which will act like a charity. Donations will be deposited into this fund and handed over within weeks to the Red Cross and an ATM business hardest hit by the flooding and hurricane damage.

"The devastation caused by this violent storm to both human life and infrastructures is on a catastrophic scale," said Tom Harper, president of ATMIA. "Our prayers and thoughts go out to affected communities and businesses. We are appealing for support from our members and the broader industry to assist in the re-building process."

ATMIA in two weeks is expected to report the amount of money donated for the effort, as well as provide an update about the money's distribution to the Red Cross and a worthy recipient, which will be determined by the ATMIA executive board.

A moment of silence will be held in honor of the victims of the tragedy at the start of ATMIA's North American ATM Debit Summit Sept. 14-16 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Make donations payable to the ATMIA Education and Development Fund, P.O. Box 176, Harrisburg, SD, 57032, USA. Pledges also may be made to ATMIA finance director Sharon Lane, who can provide additional information, via e-mail or fax, ++1 (605) 743-5877.