Preparing for emergencies

As part of Foodshare's own emergency preparedness work, we have also been bringing resources to bear to help the local food pantries and community kitchens be prepared for emergencies.  In the case of natural disasters, like the hurricanes and snowstorm of a few years ago, these local programs can often be a lifeline for the community.  But, unfortunately, not if they are without power and without plans about how to operate in an emergency.

To that end, we are offering an upcoming discussion for all of the local food pantries and community kitchens that are part of the Foodshare network:

 

 

Do you have an emergency plan for your home and family?  Does your place of business have an emergency plan?  You can find a variety of resources at www.ready.gov to help create those kinds of plans or to help you think through whether you plan is up to date.

Preparing for emergencies

In 2013, Foodshare was able to implement an emergency preparedness project with Enfield Loaves & Fishes, SafeNet Ministries Food Cupboard in Stafford, and the Christian Fellowship Center Storehouse in Bristol.  At each site over the past year, a generator was installed for backup power and a consultant helped to prepare and implement an Emergency Preparedness Plan outlining the agency’s detailed responses, procedures, key collaborations, etc. during a disaster.

This work was funded with a generous grant from CL&P supporting Foodshare’s own disaster preparedness as well as that of its partner agency network.  The project came about as a result of the October 2011 snowstorm that left so many without power for so long.  While Foodshare was operating because we have a generator, very few local food pantries were open because they had no power.  With grocery stores also closed due to lack of power, how people got food that week became a real problem.  Based on its evaluation of the above three demonstration projects, Foodshare will make recommendations for further expansion of this type of emergency preparedness work.

 

Pictured from left to right are James Ferrigno of Assurance Power Systems (APS), Chris O’Rourke and George Lombardo from Foodshare, Don Clark (Member Board of Directors Enfield Loaves & Fishes and CERT Team Town of Enfield), Priscilla Brayson (Exectuvie Director of Enfield Loaves & Fishes), and Mike Ferrigno of APS.

EXTREME WEATHER SEASON APPROACHES

Hurricane season is upon us, and winter blizzards are sure to follow. Common wisdom suggests we all suffer when extreme weather hits, but a new report suggests that low- and middle-income income communities suffer more.  These households have fewer resources to prepare for and recover from such disasters. Extreme weather exposes the neglect and underinvestment that low-income communities experience year round from substandard housing to fewer economic opportunities, to poor infrastructure, to exposure to hazardous waste.

Source: Center for American Progress, 8/19/13, Extreme Weather

Disaster response update

As you know by now, a category 5 tornado ripped through the area just south of Oklahoma City last Monday, hitting the suburb of Moore, OK the hardest, killing 24 people, leaving dozens injured and nearly 15,000 displaced. With the help of many, the team at The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma were able to mobilize staff and volunteers to distribute food and supplies to the countless people in need in their service area.  In the last week, the true power of the Feeding America network has shown through, with offers of assistance coming from across the country. Many of food banking's national corporate partners reached out looking for ways to help those affected.  Here are just a few examples of the collaborative efforts taking
place:

• Over 40 food banks in the Feeding America network have offered to send supplies, equipment and staff to help with the recovery
• PepsiCo immediately offered to send trucks and drivers to help with food distribution
• In all, we saw dozens of truckloads of donated product from national partners roll into Oklahoma, resulting in over 1.2M pounds of much needed supplies

To handle the incoming supplies, The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma opened a new disaster relief distribution center Sunday morning to serve the Moore area. The Moore disaster relief center served their first disaster relief agency Sunday morning.  By Monday, the site was serving affected families, many with tears in their eyes because they were so glad the food bank satellite site was there.  The food bank is also working with AmeriCares to place tents at various locations for food distribution and mass feedings.  Plans are underway to help re-stock each home destroyed by the disaster with food and personal items.  And, of course, while Regional Food Bank of Oklaoma has been supporting disaster relief efforts now for a week, they continue to fill orders to all regular partner agencies in areas not affected by the storms.

To make a donation to support disaster relief:

• At the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, go here, or
• At Feeding America, go here.

Disaster Response

Our hearts are broken watching the horrific news out of Oklahoma.

But know that Feeding America and the food banks around the nation are part of the disaster response efforts and will be working hard to make sure that both survivors and first responders have food and water and other essentials.

I will keep you posted as I know more.

Storm preparations

At Foodshare, we make a variety of preparations before a snowstorm, including making sure both the generator and the trucks are filled with diesel fuel.

Today, the team thought of parking two of our trucks underneath the loading area awning on the front of our building in order to eliminate the build-up of snow on top of the trucks.

Great thinking, guys!

Disaster response update

Feeding America reports that food banks in the northeast are recovering slowly from Hurricane Sandy.  All have power now and have discontinued use of generators, but are bracing for a winter storm to hit the area this week, bringing more rain and possibly snow. 

Unfortunately, nearly 2 million people are still without power and there are continued gas shortages in the most severely affected communities.  Transit systems are now operational, but residents are experiencing long delays in getting from place to place.

To date, 124 tractor-trailer truckloads of food and supplies, totaling 4 million pounds, have been donated and have been or are being dispatched to the affected food banks, most especially Island Harvest, Long Island Cares, City Harvest, Food Bank for NYC, The Community Food Bank of NJ, and The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.  New donations from the food industry in the past few days include 5 truckloads of soup from Heinz and 14 truckloads of Peanut Butter from Smuckers, plus more from Del Monte and Kraft.

Feeding America has raised nearly $1 million for disaster relief with a recent, very significant contribution from Major League Baseball providing the latest boost to our efforts. 

Food banks respond to Hurricane Sandy

With Hurricane Sandy one week behind us, Feeding America member food banks in the northeast are still struggling with spotty communications, fuel shortages and dropping temperatures which are forcing more people into shelters and warming centers. While the power is coming back on for several food banks, many are still running on generators.  

So far, 73 tractor-trailer truckloads--or 2.2 million pounds--of food and grocery items have been donated through Feeding America to support those food banks in the disaster region.   In addition, about $684,000 has been raised for the recovery effort from additional partners including Walmart, PepsiCo, General Mills, Hasbro, and United.

Feeding America is not as well known as some other disaster relief organizatons, but has had some good attention paid to their work this week.  The Feeding America network has been mentioned “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “CBS This Morning,” as well as in The Huffington Post, Morning Call, Chicago Tribune, UPI.com. The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Countiesin New Jersey was highlighted on “The Chew”  and The New York Times will be publishing an article about food banks role in disaster relief in next week’s Giving Section.

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.

Disaster response

Foodshare building and equipment fared just fine through Hurricane Sandy, but the same can not be said for some of our neighbors around the state and the northeast.

Foodshare will be working closely with Feeding America in the coming days and weeks to assist with disaster response efforts as needed.

SNAP Replacement Benefits...

According to an article I read this morning on Patch.com:

"Current recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps) can apply for replacement benefits if they lost food from storm-related power outage, Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby said Wednesday.

To be eligible, recipients must have lost food costing more than 15% of their October SNAP benefit amount.  Reports may be made by calling 2-1-1 or visiting www.211ct.org by midnight Saturday.

Determination of replacement benefits will be made after return and review of signed affidavits, in accordance with federal rules.

Bremby said the over-15% threshold for reporting food loss stems from the federal government already approving across-the-board replacement of 15% of October benefits for SNAP recipients in Connecticut.  The Department of Social Services is issuing those federal replacement benefits to SNAP recipients Thursday."

Replacement SNAP benefits announced

This information just came in from the state Department of Social Services...

Starting next week all households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will see an automatic reissuance of 15% of what they normally receive on their SNAP card. This will be on top of their normal allotment and is intended to cover the costs of food lost due to power outages after the October snowstorm. 

For SNAP households  that lost food valued more than 15% of their replacement SNAP, an additional request can be made to 2-1-1 before November 19^th. Households will be asked to complete a loss of food request form, and the amount of the individual request must be based on the value of the food bought with SNAP by the household that was lost in the storm.

Food needs expected to rise in the coming weeks

Last weekend's storm and the week long power outages are expected to create increased demand in the coming weeks for several reasons.  Most food pantries and community kitchens were not open this week due to lack of power so people who rely on those programs could not get food.  It's unlikely that people who rely on those programs have a significant emergency supply of food at home.  For the working poor, if their place of business was closed this week, they will probably not have a paycheck next week, so the need will be even greater.

When the food pantries and community kitchens re-open, they may have to discard some food due to improper storage while the power is out.   In addition, we are concerned that food donations from some sources may also be less than usual for a week or two, for similar reasons - their power was out and they had to discard food or they were open and have little food left on their shelves!

Thankfully, a special disaster response donation arrived from Feeding America this morning – over 12,000 relief packages filled with a variety of product to assist those most in need during this time of crisis. An additional 15,000 food items were donated to supplement existing supplies.

These supplies will be distributed to local food pantries to help replenish their shelves and help meet the increased need that we anticipate in the coming weeks. 

This help from Feeding America is great, but Foodshare will need everyone's help to ensure that all in our community can have enough to eat as the disaster shelters close and people return to their own homes.  You can best help with financial support which will allow Foodshare to secure and transport more donations of food from the food industry around the country.  Go here to make a secure online donation if you can help.

Disaster response

One of the roles that Foodshare plays is disaster response.  We work with the State Emergency Operations Center, the National Guard, the Red Cross, and other disaster relief efforts to provide food in times of disaster.

With last weekend's disastrous snowstorm, Foodshare has been working with FEMA and the Connecticut National Guard to help with the distribution of MRE's (meals, ready to eat) for people without power.  A total of 37 pallets of MRE's has been made available for this distribution over the last few days.

Disaster SNAP application deadline is tomorrow

Low-income Connecticut residents not currently receiving food assistance benefits and who incurred disaster-related expenses from Tropical Storm Irene -- including loss of income, temporary shelter costs and property repairs -- have until tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 27, to apply for special assistance under the federal Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).

Applications are being taken at all 12 Department of Social Services field offices throughout Connecticut until 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.  People still in line at that time will be issued ‘rain check’ vouchers to return for application processing.

“We urge the public to continue to be as patient as possible as our hard-working staff do their best to process a huge number of applications for this federal disaster assistance program,” said Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby.  “Everyone who meets the application deadline of tomorrow will be included in the process, even if we can’t get to their application by the end of the day.  For those applicants, rain checks will be provided for returning on another day for priority service.”

With a five-day application period opening last Wednesday, DSS offices have seen increasing numbers of residents applying for food benefits.  Hundreds of people were lined up early Monday morning at DSS offices in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Manchester, Stamford, Waterbury, New Britain and Willimantic.

During the first three days of applications last week, DSS processed a total of 3,701 applications for D-SNAP assistance, with the numbers rising from 451 Wednesday to 1,301 Thursday to 1,949 Friday.  The agency has dispatched staff reinforcements to field offices, including hearing officers, trainers, investigators and other specialists, to help handle applications.

 

Disaster SNAP benefits for low-income families

Until next Tuesday, September 27, the state of Connecticut (through each Department of Social Services office) will administer Disaster SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to households that are not on SNAP but did suffer disaster related expenses from the hurricane (other than just food). There are basic eligibility guidelines --  ahousehold’s NET income, including liquid assets, between August 27^th through September 25^th,  must fall below these limits:

HH                          Disaster SNAP Income Limit                       Allotment

1                              2186                                                                       200

2                              2847                                                                       367

3                              3272                                                                       526

4                              3859                                                                       668

5                              4254                                                                       793

6                              5116                                                                       952

7                              5479                                                                       1052

Each Add             +51                                                                         +150

Households will be self reporting all information. If clients are found eligible for DSNAP they will leave with an EBT card on the spot. This EBT card will have 0 dollars on it until the DSNAP is administered. At this point DSS is giving a time window of three days before the SNAP allotment is placed on the card after eligibility is determined. The client will have 90 days to use the full benefit.

Planning for disaster needs

Food banks in New England are the recipients this week of several trailer loads of MRE's (Meals, ready-to-eat) from the Vermont National Guard.  Foodshare took some of this donated product both to use in any ongoing relief efforts in Connecticut after our tropical storms in the last few weeks and to have it staged in preparation for any future needs.

Helping the Vermont Food Bank with recovery efforts

Today, it may have surprised people to see the Vermont Food Bank truck backing up to Foodshare's loading dock at our Hartford facility.  Foodshare occasionally receives and stores donations headed to Vermont at our Bloomfield facility as a way of helping our neighbors to the north with their transportation costs, but we don't do that in Hartford.

Today, the truck came to Hartford to pick up two pallets of corn on the cob and a bin full of apples, which Foodshare was able to share with the Vermont Food Bank to help with their disaster relief and recovery efforts in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.

Then, the truck stopped back at Foodshare's Bloomfield facility to pick up the product we had been holding for them.

Glad we can provide this little bit of help and hoping everyone is back to normal soon!

SNAP benefits for hurricane victims

In the event of natural disasters, state's have some options with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAp) - the state can offer  Replacement or Disaster SNAP for clients in CT that were hit by the hurricane.

At this point it looks like the state is going to do replacement SNAP, which allows SNAP clients that were effected by the hurricane extra benefits to replace the food that was damaged. In general though replacement SNAP is initiated when the client contacts the worker.

Disaster SNAP, which is given to households that may not be eligible for SNAP under normal circumstances but because of the disaster were deemed eligible, is still in discussion. This is something that the federal government must declare, and although FEMA was in the state earlier this week, we have not yet heard about this option.

Sam's Club joins the disaster relief efforts

In anticipation of Hurricane Irene, Sam’s Clubs wanted to make sure key organizations who provide services in the community are afforded more help during this time.  Each club was authorized to donate an additional $1,000 in fresh food to a non-profit with whom they have a relationship with and who they felt could use the help (and redistribute the food so that it would have the greatest impact).  Jeff DePascale, the Manchester General manager, chose Foodshare, and in less than one hour the team selected the food and will have it ready for Foodshare to pick-up today. It included :     37 packages of Beef Ravioli ( 10/15oz cans per package ), 33 packages of Mac N Cheese ( 12 / 7.25 boxes per pack), 34 packages of Spam ( 4 / 12oz cans).

Thank you Jeff and the team at Sam’s of Manchester!