Anyone driving near the Santa Barbara Mission recently may have noticed two large trailers adorned with American flags and photos of Mother Teresa, and loudly proclaiming “PEACE!” They belong to Curtis Reliford of Santa Cruz, founder of the Follow Your Heart Action Network.

Reliford is a man on a mission. Since 2005 he has made 15 trips from Santa Cruz to New Orleans, La., delivering donated food, clothing and building supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now on his 16th trip, he is stopping in a variety of communities to spread the word about his ongoing efforts.

Originally from Shreveport, La., Reliford grew up in a troubled neighborhood, turning to drugs and alcohol to cope with his problems. Twenty-six years ago, he decided to leave his home state to get clean and sober. Settling in Santa Cruz, he joined several recovery programs and eventually attained his goal of a sober life. In addition to helping him attain sobriety, the groups taught Reliford to follow his passion.

“What I learned (in those groups) is what I am doing now,” he told Noozhawk.

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Reliford had just returned from a trip to Louisiana with his daughter. He recalls the bad situation that existed even before the hurricane.

“There was a storm before the storm,” he said. “The system wasn’t helping, and there was just so much racism, prejudice and bigotry.”

When Reliford learned of the massive damage from the hurricane and the communities in need, he jumped to action. He made large signs and headed to downtown Santa Cruz asking for donations. Within three days he had received thousands of donations, and had lined up a group of volunteers to help sort and package the items. One week later, he set off for Louisiana with five trucks and 10 volunteers to help him. Reliford’s first stop was his hometown of Shreveport, where the football coliseum had been converted into an aid shelter.

Upon arrival, Reliford says he met resistance from members of the National Guard, who told him they had no room for his five truckloads of supplies. Representatives of the American Red Cross showed him to a warehouse where they suggested he could leave the items. But Reliford had not driven the long distance to drop off his goods in a warehouse and walk away — he wanted to deliver the items directly to the people.

The next day, Reliford toured the Shreveport coliseum and said he was appalled by the filthy, wet living conditions. But despite the poor conditions, the coliseum had storerooms full of adequate supplies and clothing for the residents. So Reliford got on the phone and called different communities to see who needed supplies and where. He learned of several communities in Louisiana and Texas that needed the supplies he had, and he set about dispersing them.

Reliford had intended to make that first trip his only one, but he was greeted by a surprise upon his return to Santa Cruz. A 35-foot RV and eight tons of donated items were parked on his driveway. With that and amid the phone calls he continued to receive from communities in need, he knew he had found his mission in life.

“One trip just turned into 16 trips,” he said.

Reliford went about trying to better organize his operation, taking advice from different groups and people involved in community aid. His efforts have been grassroots, involving fundraisers and yard sales. He received a grant from the organization Bread for the Journey to buy a 40-foot storage container for the donated items. In 2007, his organization received tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status as a nonprofit aid group.

Reliford has received a Jefferson Award for public service and the NAACP Community Service Award, and was honored by Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 28, 2006.

Since receiving 501(c)(3) status, Reliford’s organization has continued receiving and accepting donations for ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina. He tries to get out to Louisiana at least quarterly — sometimes alone, sometimes with volunteers. He takes items not needed in Louisiana to local migrant worker communities in Santa Cruz, Watsonville and the greater Bay Area.

During his travels, Reliford says he has found poverty without even having to look hard for it. Whether it was children begging for clothing while gassing up his truck in Arizona, or Native Americans wandering through 109-degree heat in Texas, Reliford has seen the great need people have in seemingly forgotten communities, and that he hasn’t seen much improvement either.

“I see the same need in all of these areas not being addressed,” Reliford said. “It’s like nobody cares. Everyone looks the other way.”

But Reliford struggles on with his work, helping people out wherever he can. He regularly visits the same Native American reservations in Arizona and Texas on his trips to New Orleans, giving them what he can. He says he has no hope in the government helping anyone out, adding that it’s preoccupied with spending on war and weapons.

“We’ve built rockets and spaceships to go to the moon, but we can’t do something for these folks right here in our own country,” he said.

Reliford said he also sees more people turning to drugs and alcohol to deal with their problems — a path with which he is all too familiar. He encourages people from going down this road, and suggests that they find their passion and follow it.

To the victims of Hurricane Katrina and anyone else in need, Reliford has one simple message: “My message is to make people aware that you haven’t been forgotten.”

— Noozhawk intern Nick St.Oegger can be reached at nstoegger@noozhawk.com. Click here to see more of his photography. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.