***Update: 10/10/18***
Several of our Second Harvest Food Bank team members will be spending time in the eastern part of the state to assist with ongoing Hurricane Florence relief activities. Members of our staff will be head in different directions to assist our sister food banks, Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeastern NC in New Bern, Southern Pines, and Fayetteville through the end of the month.
***Update: 10/1/18***
Second Harvest Food Bank is continuing to work with food banks across the storm-affected regions in North and South Carolina in a coordinated effort to help alleviate the impacts from Hurricane Florence.
We are working very closely with our sister food banks to help provide the most needed resources. We, along with our sister food banks, are very sensitive to the fact that there will be both short and longer terms needs, and we will continue to partner with them throughout the recovery efforts.
The most helpful thing you can do is donate funds. Money can be easily directed to where it is most needed, and to what is most needed. Additionally, monetary donations also support a local economy experiencing a temporary crisis.
Truly, the most environmentally friendly, cost-effective, efficient and best way for the public outside of the affected areas to help is with funds rather than buying food locally so it has to be shipped into the devastated areas.
Any donations to Second Harvest will be used on a most-needed basis to support our food bank partners’ relief efforts following the storm.
***Update: 9/17/18***
USDA Provides Additional Food Options to SNAP Participants Impacted by Hurricane Florence SNAP participants may use benefits to purchase hot and prepared foods and receive additional time to report food losses. Details here: For more information on FNS assistance during times of disaster, visit www.fns.usda.gov/disaster. North Carolina residents may also call 211 for information about hurricane relief and assistance resources.
***Update: 9/13/18***
Here are useful links:
North Carolina Shelter Locations North Carolina Road Conditions North Carolina County Emergency Management Agencies
***Update: 9/12/18*** Our Providence Culinary Training students and staff are working to make ready-to-heat meals to be distributed in impacted areas by our partners at Salvation Army. Learn more here.
***Update: 9/11/18***
************************************ At Second Harvest Food Bank, it is our job to be prepared.
At Second Harvest Food Bank, we and our network partners are responding every day to the on-going crisis of poverty and food insecurity. It’s what we do.
We are also well-prepared to engage in recovery efforts following natural disasters that impact our nation, especially our home state of North Carolina.
As Hurricane Florence approaches the North Carolina coast, we are currently connecting with our sister food banks in North Carolina, as well as with local response agencies as we ready to activate around anticipated necessary recovery efforts within the 18-counties we serve, and beyond, as needed.
We will notify the public as soon we have additional information about needs for food and water.
How Second Harvest’s Disaster Response Works
Second Harvest is part of Feeding America – the national network of food banks which, in addition to year-round hunger relief operations, also helps to orchestrate disaster response to serious incidents such as hurricanes.
Our goal as a network is to take care of as many people as we can, as quickly as we can. For Feeding America, Feeding the Carolinas, and Second Harvest that means making sure people have food and water— so that in the face of such devastation, families don’t have to worry about whether they’ll have enough to eat.
Second Harvest takes an active role in recovery efforts following major disasters, working with FEMA, The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NC VOAD).
Second Harvest is also a member of the Forsyth County COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster) and is prepared to support disaster relief throughout the state of North Carolina and especially in our 18-county service area, which we care for year round.
Our staff is well-trained and facilities are well prepared for situations such as these.
Historically we have provided disaster response to local, regional, and national disasters such as the recent tornadoes in Guilford and Rockingham Counties and Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, and Katrina.
What is happening now?
Currently, we are working with our sister food banks across the Carolinas as we prepare for anticipated relief needs after Florence hits. We will provide updates on our social media channels as well as on this blog.
What can you do NOW to help the people and communities that may be impacted by the storm?
Food and Water is the name of our game. Second Harvest and our sister food banks work diligently to cover these basics for families in the wake of the disaster. We work in close coordination with other organizations that provide for other needs.
Financial donations for recovery efforts. Your financial support of our efforts is critical as they allow us to pinpoint the community needs and respond accordingly. We have activated a giving page for donations to support our networks response efforts, including securing, staging and distributing water and food for impacted families.
Along with everyone else, food bankers are carefully watching the forecasts regarding Florence, and we will be actively engaged in supporting any necessary relief efforts for our service area working with our local, on-the-ground partner agencies.
