It's not the oldest or the largest community organization in Honolulu, but members of the group Vietnamese Community in Hawaii are doing their part to raise money for hurricane victims in Texas, Louisiana and elsewhere.

Sorry, no rock bands, telethons or donation drop boxes near the checkout lines in big-box retail stores.

Members of the fledgling Vietnamese Community group simply set up a table along Kekaulike Street and have been accepting donations from passersby.

"We've gotten a good response so far," said Quoc Le, chairman of the umbrella organization that strives to improve communication and coordinates the efforts of a number of other Vietnamese organizations in Hawai'i.

"We've raised about $5,000 so far, much of it from senior citizens and others from a community that has somewhat limited resources."

The group's fundraising efforts also were publicized on a local cable TV show about Vietnamese in Hawai'i and at the recent children's Moon Festival, Le said.

The Vietnamese Community in Hawaii plans to turn the money over by the end of the week to the American Red Cross to aid all of the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — not just those of Vietnamese ancestry, even though there are strong ties between Vietnamese families in Hawai'i and those in New Orleans and especially in Port Arthur, Texas, home of one of the larger Vietnamese-American populations in the United States.

Several of the boats in Honolulu's longline fishing fleet relocated to Hawai'i over the past decade from Port Arthur and New Orleans, and crew members still have relatives living back there.

Approximately 5 percent of Port Arthur's roughly 60,000 residents are of Vietnamese ancestry, U.S. Census Bureau figures show.

Port Arthur was among the hardest-hit areas this past weekend when Hurricane Rita raked across the low-lying coastal towns and hamlets in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana.

Le said anyone wanting to donate to the cause may drop off smaller contributions at the group's table on Kekaulike Street. He recommended that larger donations be mailed directly to the Hawai'i state chapter of the American Red Cross at 4155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI 96816.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce plans to discuss ways to help in the hurricane relief efforts at the chamber's next meeting, said Ralph Portmore, the organization's president.

Reach David Waite at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.