My wife and I talked about this very topic today. We do not know anyone who currently lives (lived) in that area of the country, aside from some members here, but several friends-of-friends and the like are in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. I enjoy making pens, and I'm building up a rather extensive inventory, so I need to find some outlet for my work. So far haven't had much luck with sales (not really trying either though), and I've donated some pens to the FPP, but I'm always looking for some other good use for them, too. As I've mentioned offline to some here, I am more than willing to volunteer my time to make pens for good causes. It was with that goal in mind that we (my wife and I) were discussing whether making pens for some of our friends-of-friends was appropriate, and if so, what to make.
My goal is to make pens that form part of happy memories for people; pens that are gifts to celebrate friendship, special events, or the like, and even more importantly, pens that evoke memories of happy times, for example, from a baby's crib, or a piece from a cabinet or floor from someone's first home. The thought of making a pen from part of a home or property that was destroyed in the hurricane just doesn't sit well with me. The emotions that would be associated with that pen are something that I personally would not want to hold onto. But then it occured to me that the pen could also be something else - it could be a symbol of having perservered, having dealt with an horrific event, and having not only survived, but even held on to rebuild. My fear is that any pen I make may be misinterpreted by the recipient, and may evoke the emotions I did not intend. I'm still on the fence as to whether and how to participate in something like this.
Rocky, I can't speak for John, William, Johnny, and Mark, but I THINK that what I've said is basically what they were trying to say too. There are likely to be some great motives behind the effort, and I applaud the generosity and kindness associated with it. I'm just not sure it is the right thing for me to participate in.