Disaster Response
Our Response to Hurricane Ida
Since the powerful category 4 storm made landfall late Aug. 29, hundreds of thousands of residents in its path are still in the recovery process and need support now. With full restoration of power in the most heavily impacted areas of Louisiana not expected until the end of September, the need for basic supplies remains tremendous – especially when you consider their loss of important resources for daily living such as food and access to clean water. And for those already living paycheck to paycheck, the loss will be crippling.
In Louisiana, 19% of residents live below the poverty line, and many of those who rode out Ida said they did it because they had no way to evacuate.
That’s why Feed the Children is working with local partners in Louisiana such as Apostolic Outreach Center, Hand to Hand Foundation, House of Prayer and Mt. Xion First Baptist Church to help families in the hardest-hit areas of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Bourg, Hammond, Houma, Thibodaux, and Jean Lafitte.
Feed the Children semi-trucks deployed to those areas, carrying critical disaster relief supplies such as:
- More than 40,000 lbs. of bottled water
- 25-pound boxes of food such as canned vegetables, peanut butter and mac ‘n cheese
- 15-pound box of essentials like personal-care items such as shampoo, razors, toothpaste and face masks
- Cleaning supplies such as baby wipes, laundry detergent, liquid hand soap, hand sanitizer
- Kid’s Disaster Packs (backpack includes hygiene items, toys, activities and safety items as well as The Comfort Quilt coloring book with counseling resources)
We are also working alongside NFL team the Minnesota Vikings, Jake Reed (former wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings), JR Reed (safety for the Los Angeles Rams), Vinita Reed, Blessed to be a Blessing Foundation and the Tangipahoa African American Heritage Museum & Veterans Archives to distribute boxes of food, hygiene items and disaster supplies to families in the Hammond, La. Area.
Many of our corporate partners such as Teleperformance and Office Depot have also offered their support for affected families. Other long-time corporate partners, such as Niagara Bottling, Tyson Foods, Starbucks and StarKist have donated product to aid displaced residents.
As Ida’s devastation is still felt far and wide, Feed the Children has expanded its response to New York, New Jersey, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. In those areas, we are working with the Midwest Food Bank – PA Division, Midwest Food Bank – Bloomington and Convoy of Hope to make sure supplies get into the hands of families who are affected.
Our Response to the 2021 Tennessee Flooding
On Aug. 21, Tennessee was hit with heavy rain that lead to devastating flash flooding (up to 15 inches of rain fell over a six-hour period) ripping homes from their foundations and displacing hundreds of residents. As of Aug. 25, hundreds of homes were destroyed, while another couple of hundred structures sustained major damage.
To date
- We’ve provided 3 different shipments of relief to support the Nashville and Waverly, Tennessee area
- In Waverly, we are working with The Rotary Club of Overland Park who is working with Fort Campbell troops and the Tennessee National Guard to distribute the product we provided which includes assorted shelf-stable food items, disinfectant wipes, cleaning solution, laundry detergent and baby wipes
Tornadoes in Alabama and Western Georgia
On March 25, multiple tornadoes and severe storms tore through Alabama and western Georgia, as well as parts of Mississippi and Tennessee. The storms destroyed homes, damaged the power grid, and caused at least five casualties. Feed the Children stands ready to deliver disaster relief aid to communities in need.
To date
- 6 shipments of relief provided
- 10 different communities served
- 149,000+ pounds of relief supplies like water, Gatorade, shelf-stable food and healthy snacks, cleaning supplies, personal care items, work gloves, and paper goods.
21 Reasons to Give is helping communities recover in Acworth, Monroe, and Adair counties in Georgia, and Calhoun and Shelby counties in Alabama. They are receiving water, Gatorade, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, and shelf-stable food.
In Newnan, Georgia, Reach Out America is receiving bottled water, tea, cleaning supplies, Avon products, shelf-stable food, hand sanitizer, hygiene products, and sanitizing wipes.
Our Response to the 2021 Ice Storms
Feed the Children worked with partners on the ground during the 2021 ice storms to send shipments of bottled water and shelf-stable food to partners in Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee. Thanks to our partner Niagara water, we have allocated multiple truckloads of water for Texas which will serve the Houston area and other communities. We have distributed truckloads of supplies, thanks to our partner Niagara water to communities across Oklahoma including Miami, Perry, Caddo County, and McAlester which is serving as a regional hub for water distribution. We have distributed pallets of water to Tennessee Emergency Management to assist at a hospital and nursing home in Memphis.
- 28 total shipments of relief provided
- 30+ different communities served in three states
- 650,000+ pounds of relief supplies like water, shelf-stable food, personal care items
COVID-19 Crisis
Feed the Children is delivering food and essentials to communities across the nation who are struggling during this COVID-19 crisis. To learn more about our efforts please click the button below.
2020 Disaster Response
In 2020, with the help of our community partners, Feed the Children responded to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Dorian and Imelda as well as other natural disasters such as wildfires in California, tornadoes in Nashville and flooding in the Midwest. To aid with recovery efforts, we shipped more than 1.7 million pounds of food and supplies valued at more than $4.6 million to disaster-affected areas across the United States. We also worked with our partners to provide relief for families in the Philippines affected by the eruption of the Taal volcano, to protect against cholera in regions touched by floods in Kenya and for those in the Bahamas who were displaced by Hurricane Dorian.
One of our corporate partners, Teleperformance, showed outstanding support for disaster relief in 2020. They contributed nearly $283,000 in employee donations to support community food and nutrition programs in El Salvador and communities affected by the eruption of the Taal volcano in the Philippines and Hurr icane Dorian in the Bahamas, as well as natural disasters in the U.S. such as flooding throughout the Midwest and tornadoes in Tennessee in early March of 2020. When the pandemic struck only weeks after that, the company quickly allocated $50,000 for COVID-19 relief. Leadership from the very top made a strong statement about what corporate social responsibility can look like as Teleperformance’s Chairman and CEO, Daniel Julien, made a personal contribution of $560,000.
2019 Disaster Response
In 2019, with the help of our community partners, Feed the Children responded to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Dorian and Imelda as well as other natural disasters such as wildfires in California, tornadoes in Nashville and flooding in the Midwest. To aid with recovery efforts, we shipped more than 1.7 million pounds of food and supplies valued at more than $4.6 million to disaster-affected areas across the United States. We also worked with our partners to provide relief for families in the Philippines affected by the eruption of the Taal volcano, to protect against cholera in regions touched by floods in Kenya and for those in the Bahamas who were displaced by Hurricane Dorian.
One of our corporate partners, Teleperformance, showed outstanding support for disaster relief in 2020. They contributed nearly $283,000 in employee donations to support community food and nutrition programs in El Salvador and communities affected by the eruption of the Taal volcano in the Philippines and Hurr icane Dorian in the Bahamas, as well as natural disasters in the U.S. such as flooding throughout the Midwest and tornadoes in Tennessee in early March of 2020. When the pandemic struck only weeks after that, the company quickly allocated $50,000 for COVID-19 relief. Leadership from the very top made a strong statement about what corporate social responsibility can look like as Teleperformance’s Chairman and CEO, Daniel Julien, made a personal contribution of $560,000.
2018 Disaster Response
In 2018, with help from more than 40 community partners, Feed the Children responded to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Florence and Michael as well as other disasters such as the wildfires in California and flooding in the Midwest. We shipped millions of pounds of food and supplies valued at approximately $9.8 million to disaster-affected regions in the United States. We also provided food and personal care boxes to more than 11,000 families.
Internationally, through our program work in Malawi, Feed the Children responded to the flooding caused by Cyclone Adai by providing 1.5 million packets of WaterGuard valued at $90K to benefit 6.6 million people. Through our program work in the Philippines, we responded to Typhoon Ompong by providing food supplies including rice, mongo beans, sugar, chocolate powder and milk as well as Vitameal as follow-up support. We also responded to the landslide in Naga as well as other disasters.
Internationally, through our program work in Malawi, Feed the Children responded to the flooding caused by Cyclone Adai by providing 1.5 million packets of WaterGuard valued at $90K to benefit 6.6 million people. Through our program work in the Philippines, we responded to Typhoon Ompong by providing food supplies including rice, mongo beans, sugar, chocolate powder and milk as well as Vitameal as follow-up support. We also responded to the landslide in Naga as well as other disasters.
Helping Families
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Meals
You Can Make A Difference When Disaster Strikes
Disasters are devastating and can be an emotional time for families as they begin to pick up the pieces and move on. With help from partnering agencies and generous donors, Feed the Children can support communities impacted by natural disasters by providing them with food, essentials, water and cleaning supplies. Here’s how you can help:
- A direct donation helps Feed the Children purchase much-needed supplies for families recovering from their loss.
- Gift-in-kind, from our generous corporate partners, provides food, cleaning supplies and essential items for Feed the Children Disaster Relief boxes which allow families and their children to begin rebuilding their lives.
If you are interested in supporting affected areas in either of these ways or if you have additional questions, please contact your Corporate Partner or Corporate Donor Relations representative on how you can get involved.