For 18 of our 21 years, THE RIVER FUND NEW YORK has been operating the ONLY mobile pantry program in New York City, taking care of extremely needy families in New York's most desperate communities. As a result of this depth of experience and well-practiced teams, we have been, in many instances, the first food providers to get into the areas hardest hit by Hyperstorm Sandy. Our Mobile Pantry Operations, get-in, set-up in minutes and begin serving substantial quantities of ready-to-eat foods.
In all of these areas, entire neighborhoods have lost their supply of electricity and cooking-gas; most families have experienced flooding of their homes-up to 7 feet above street level. The effect has been the total destruction of refrigerators, stoves, washing machines and dryers, sofas, kitchen cabinets and other furniture as well as everything else that might have been in basement and first-floor apartments. Cars were totally submerged in the muddy waters-or floated away.
In this situation, help did not arrive in the form of a military convoy, as many may have expected--but in the form of The River Fund Mobile Pantry. Coordinating with local Congressmen and other officials with access to the best and most up-to-date information, The River Fund is able to identify the areas of greatest need and achieve the greatest possible impact. Officials of the New York City Police Department remarked, "We've never seen anyone get-in, set-up and begin serving as quickly."
The River Fund Mobile Pantry will have a long-term impact on the communities affected by Hurricane Sandy through providing necessary sustenance and support during the process of disaster recovery.
