Disaster relief supplies on the way

An update from Feeding America on Hurricane Sandy relief:

As residents return to their communities after the flooding from Hurricane Sandy, food bank staff across the Northeast are just now beginning to get a sense of the enormity of their situation. We have learned that most have reassembled enough staff to be able to resume limited operations; one food bank is without power and many others are running on generators. There are concerns about fuel shortages affecting deliveries and generator power, residents’ safety, and the additional strain that the dropping temperatures may have on local agencies as residents continue to go without without heat or electricity.

So far, Feeding America has been able to organize 51 truckloads--or 1 million pounds--of shelf-stable ready to eat meals, hand-held snacks, canned goods, water and nutritional drinks to more than nine food banks across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, as well as in West Virginia where residents are facing snow emergencies and power outages.  Feeding America is continuing to source donations and to purchase high-demand products that will be needed in the coming days and weeks as communities recover from the storm.

As part of the Feeding America network of food banks, Foodshare is ready to help our neighboring food banks in the northeast if and when needed.