Disaster Response

2021 Disaster Response

Our Response to Tornadoes in the U.S.

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.

• Reach Out America distributed product such as cleaning supplies, liquid soap, paper products, comfort kits, yoga mats, sunscreen, juice and bottled water to help affected families in Madisonville, Ky.
• Operation Compassion distributed product such as bottled water, juices, cleaning wipes, liquid hand soap, emergency lanterns and crackers to help families in Madisonville, Mayfield and Dawson Springs, Ky.
• 4 Good Community distributed herbal tea, gallons of water, soup, crackers, liquid hand soap, cleaning kits and flashlights to families in Hopkins County, Ky.
• Teleperformance sponsored a Feed the Children semi-truck filled with bottled water, laundry detergent, emergency lanterns and flashlights, face masks, hand soap, trash bags, chips, crackers, and protein bars to go to the National Baptist Convention for support in affected counties. 
• World Harvest Church sponsored a Feed the Children semi-truck filled with bottled water, face masks, cleaning products, head lamps, laundry detergent, protein bars, crackers, and chicken broth to go to 4 Good Community for support in affected counties.

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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.

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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.

• 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

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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.

• 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.

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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