Feeding America Supporting Hurricane Irma Victims
Record-breaking storms have hit our country back-to-back, but Feeding America and the network of food banks are still on our feet, helping our southern neighbors every way that we can.
Over the weekend, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys and made its way up Florida’s west coast. The storm battered the state with high winds and torrential rainfall. It left 5 million people without power and more than 100,000 people are in shelters, but the full extent of the storm’s damage across the state is still unclear. And the storm isn’t over yet.
For the second time this hurricane season, Feeding America and the network of food banks have launched into action. Food banks are working together to help as many people as possible throughout this devastating storm. And Feeding America is supporting these efforts by securing food and funds, coordinating with government officials and national organizations and providing as much as assistance as we can. As of Monday, we have secured 1 million pounds of food and supplies for Hurricane Irma relief efforts, and that number is expected to grow as the need intensifies.
The food banks on the ground are mostly still assessing their damage, and we hope to help them get up and running soon. Some updates from the affected areas:
- Puerto Rico: Banco de Alimentos de Puerto Rico is distributing food and supplies to impacted communities. This includes nearly 500 ALDI disaster boxes that were shipped by United Airlines from New Jersey to Puerto Rico today.
- Florida: A number of food banks in Florida are temporarily closed, without power or unable to access their facilities, as some areas are experiencing high winds, flooding, downed power lines and other challenges.
- Georgia: The Georgia food banks are working together to provide meals to many evacuees from Florida who are currently in Georgia as they prepare for local needs to spike as the storm crosses into their state.
We hope to provide you with more updates on the Feeding America food banks in the affected areas as soon as they are available.
Today, we are focused not only on supporting network members and communities impacted by disasters — but we are also remembering the people who died in the September 11 attacks. Despite what we have lost, both 16 years ago today and in the recent storms, we remember that we are resilient. Thank you for your dedication to helping your communities stay strong, no matter what challenges they face.