DISASTER UPDATE

COVID-19 Crisis

Feed the Children is dedicated to ensuring food and essentials are available to those impacted by disaster and crisis. We are working to put food in the hands of the most vulnerable throughout our nation and the world. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19. We will continue the important work of serving those without life’s basic necessities and bringing hope to the hungry.

Tornadoes in Tennessee

Our neighbors in Tennessee are recovering from the tragic devastation of tornadoes. We are thinking of them today, praying for them and preparing relief aid. Please join us to lend a helping hand to support our neighbors. The donation you make today will bring essentials and comfort to those affected by the tornadoes in Tennessee.

News Update

We continue to respond with essentials and food to those impacted by the tragic tornadoes that ripped through Nashville in February, causing widespread damage and thousands of residents to wake up without power. At least three tornadoes, including an EF 3, were reported along a 145-mile stretch through Nashville. Reports indicate that families had little time to prepare when a tornado warning was issued around 12:35 a.m. for Davidson county. This morning, first responders are assessing damage. As many as 45 buildings in downtown Nashville and homes have sustained substantial damage. The tragedy continues to unfold as there have been 22 confirmed fatalities in four counties (Putnam, Benton, Wilson and Davidson), and more than 150 people were transported to surrounding hospitals for sustaining storm related injuries.

Feed the Children’s disaster response and U.S. logistics team will be providing hope to our neighbors by diligently reaching out to work with our partners on the ground to assess the needs of the community.

Feed the Children Offers Hope and Help to Families Affected by Disasters

Through our vast network of community partners, we provided immediate aid to those affected by Hurricanes Florence and Lane in 2018. Throughout our history, we have responded to hundreds of disasters and distributed millions of dollars in food and essentials to those in impacted areas.

Hurricane Florence Disaster Relief Help

The destruction left by Hurricane Florence continues to create challenges for the people of North and South Carolina. In Wilmington, 52% reported no fuel, and in the Greenville/New Bern/Washington area, fuel outages were reported at 38%.

  • Feed the Children delivered over half a million pounds of food and essentials to community partners in vulnerable areas.
  • Supplies included ready-to-eat food, soups, beverages, paper goods, cleaning supplies, cereal, snack items, flashlights, batteries, and protein bars.
  • We provided food and supplies to over 2,000 people in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
  • Feed the Children teamed up with several partner agencies in the affected areas, including 21 Reasons to Give, Operation Compassion, Christian Appalachian Project, Convoy of Hope, Harbor Light Worship Ministries, Reach Out American International, Midwest Food Bank, and Mankind United to Save African Children.

Our Work with Hurricane Florence and Lane 2018

The storms, which had catastrophic flooding, had forced mandatory evacuations across the eastern seaboard affecting approximately 1.5 million people. More than a dozen shipments of supplies totaling approximately 355,000 pounds from Feed the Children were already on their way to help residents in North and South Carolina as well as Virginia before the storms arrived. Feed the Children was working hand-in-hand with local agencies such as Operation Compassion, Convoy of Hope, Mankind United to Save African Children, Harbor Light Worship Ministries, Reach Out American International, 21 Reasons to Give, Christian Appalachian Project and Midwest Food Bank-Bloomington to help with outreach efforts.

As Hurricane Florence approached the coastline it was expected to make landfall by Fri., Sep. 14, Feed the Children worked diligently with corporate partners and local agencies to allocate shipments of food, water and disaster relief supplies for those who would be affected by the impending storm. Many long-time partners such as StarKist, Energizer, Niagra, Campbell Soup Company, BNRG, Treehouse Private Brands, FitJoy Nutrition, Post Consumer Brands, White Wave and Frito-Lay donated supplies in addition to their support to help displaced residents.

“We are very dedicated to making sure the residents affected by Florence have the food and supplies they need to survive this potentially life-threatening storm,” said John Ricketts, Director of Disaster Services at Feed the Children. “We are working with our partners on the ground to distribute supplies. We are calling on communities and partners across the U.S to help our neighbors in their time of need.”

In the event of a disaster, quick response times are crucial to relief efforts. At Feed the Children, we know how important it is to anticipate and immediately address damage caused by hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tornadoes — anything that leaves children and their families vulnerable. Feed the Children helps reduce the effects of a disaster to communities around the world by:

  • Providing emergency response
  • Distributing food, essentials, water and cleaning supplies to families in need
  • Sending Kid’s Disaster Packs for children
  • Assisting in rebuilding and recovery efforts
  • Training in disaster-risk reduction
  • Supplying personal hygiene kits

Helping Families

Volunteers

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.