When natural disasters occur, entire communities may be affected, and resources must be deployed to help those in need.
Although there is no one cause of food insecurity, there are identifiable risk factors that make it more likely that a child or family will experience hunger. One of these factors is a personal crisis within the family. Death, a medical emergency and the loss of a job are all examples of individual crises that may affect families.
When a natural disaster strikes, it creates a crisis on a much larger scale. Entire communities may find themselves affected and suddenly in need of help.
That means resources must be deployed as necessary to help with the immediate problems caused by a storm or other natural disaster. Your donations help us remain ready to respond – and keep the communities we serve resilient.
Hurricane Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 storm on September 28, 2022, and was the single deadliest hurricane to strike the state since 1935. Additionally, Ian created widespread damage to the state’s infrastructure and inflicted property damage costs second only to those of Hurricane Katrina.
In the aftermath, Feed the Children worked with a network of community partners like HOPE worldwide, Farm Share, Reach Out America and others to help those affected by Hurricane Ian. Our generous donors and partners stepped up to help provide affected areas with crucial supplies including:
In February of 2022, Russia launched an invasion of its neighboring country Ukraine. Although Feed the Children does not serve this region in terms of programming or infrastructure, we could not ignore this humanitarian crisis. Working with international partners including Teleperformance and HOPE worldwide, we sent support to several key Ukrainian cities and refugee areas to help distribute 10-day emergency rations, food supplies, hot meals and food vouchers.
On Monday, March 23, tornadoes through parts of Texas and Oklahoma, damaging schools, homes and businesses. The same storm system moved into Louisiana and Mississippi the next day, carrying dangerous tornadoes and powerful winds that caused widespread power outages. The tornadoes that tore through Louisiana hit many of the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. As a member of the Louisiana National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), Feed the Children has reached out to local partners on the ground in New Orleans and Texas to discuss any needs the community may have at this time. Feed the Children will work diligently with corporate and community partners to ensure children and families are supported as they focus on recovery.
Tropical Cyclone Ana made landfall on the Mozambique coast Jan. 24, tearing through southern Malawi the next day with torrential rains and strong winds causing intense flooding, downed trees and power lines, as well as structural damage. In Malawi, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs says Ana displaced more than 193,000 households (more than 948,000 people) from their homes across 17 districts. Feed the Children is working with the Nutrition Cluster, co-chaired by the Government of Malawi through the Department of Nutrition & HIV/AIDS and UNICEF, to determine short, mid- and long-term needs as families work to clean and rebuild after the storm. So far the below as been provided.
There were at least 50 tornado reports during the historic outbreak from late Friday (December 11) into Saturday (December 12) in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, says this is the 'most devastating tornado event in our state's history.' Families affected by this devastating storm need assistance now. Feed the Children is working diligently with corporate and community partners on the ground to get food, essentials and disaster relief supplies in the hands of families who need it most.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In times of disaster, every second counts. Your donation to our Disaster Response Fund can help us be ready when disaster strikes. Together, we can help communities recover and rebuild after a disaster. Please donate today and help us be there for those who need us most.