Warehouse of Hope

Every 24 hours more than a half million meals are served and thousands of pounds of water and the basic essentials are given to survivors of hurricane Katrina.

One valley organization is helping care for the coast...but they couldn't do it without your help.

Nearly 50 thousand pounds of food, all earmarked to help the strong survivors of Katrina recover....

Mick Anderson, a director at the food bank of the Rio Grande Valley says, "In the last three days we have literally gone through ever piece of that. Every can every bag it's been sort and repackaged and we hope it will be going out by tomorrow or next Monday to places that needed"

They've partnered with IBC bank and H-E-B to collect food, personal hygiene items and money.. And he says it's a special sight to see those who don't have much reach deep and give back to help the victims.

Anderson says, "The people that help us who don't have a lot of financial backing or background. Well, those people really get to my heart. Because what they do is they give of themselves.. They may not even have income, but they give. And that's what makes us want to go to work everyday and makes us appreciate everyone in the valley"

The food bank is still in great need of volunteers to help sort and repackage items still coming in.

Survival meals and snacks are also needed.

But Anderson says their greatest need right now isn't water -- but personal hygiene items.

"They need personal items like toothbrushes, and diapers and tampons and stuff of that nature. Any kind of of a personal hygiene thing because those are the hardest things to collect. The most thing we need is cash"

You can take action too!

Just one dollar donated to the food bank can provide eight meals.

If you don't have the money, you can donate the essentials like..food and personal hygiene items..

This evening, methodist churches from across the valley came forward donating household cleaning products, toothbrushes, buckets and blankets.

To help out call 227-1224.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.