By Judy Crawford | Director of Grants and Research
Food is a basic necessity of life, and following a natural disaster, is critical to even starting to rebuild individual lives and communities.
Following Hurricane Irma on September 10-11, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida immediately began distribution in metro-Orlando (Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake Counties) and from our branch locations in Daytona Beach (Volusia County) and West Melbourne (Brevard County). We also assisted areas in South and Southwestern Florida. By October 2, we had provided 2.7 million pounds of food and water for the victims of Hurricane Irma.
Hurricane Maria followed, devastating Puerto Rico. As soon as it was possible, we began sending cargo container loads of food to help the people who had nothing…no food, no home, no electricity.
There are projections that Puerto Ricans who are relocating to Florida will be in the thousands short-term. Long-term projections may bring as many as 1 million people to the East Coast of the United States, with relocation anticipated in Central Florida, Miami, and New York City.
Once flights began from Puerto Rico to Orlando, a member of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Outreach staff was part of the local hunger relief team at Orlando International Airport. Our staff provided food vouchers that could be taken to local food pantries, as well as providing referrals for other assistance and helping eligible people apply for SNAP, commonly known as food stamps.
We are planning for a long-term recovery effort in Central Florida, with potential options based on the number of people relocating. One possibility is increasing our mobile food pantries, which take truckloads of food, with an emphasis on fresh produce, to a location easily accessible to people needing assistance. We will work to strengthen the capacity of our partner agencies in areas where a large number of people relocate.
We are grateful for the support of caring people who have donated through GlobalGiving. It is with your help that we can keep food flowing to our neighbors arriving from Puerto Rico.
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