HURRICANE DISASTER NEWS RELEASE
FOOD LIFELINE SENDING STAFF TO HELP WITH RELIEF EFFORTS
Shoreline, WA, Sep. 10, 2005 - In an effort to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, Food Lifeline, the Western Washington affiliate of America's Second Harvest, is sending staff to the established emergency centers in the south.
Food Lifeline's volunteer program manager is in Houston to aid in setting up volunteer operations to sort and repack food. Food Lifeline's food procurement expert is going Monday to America's Second Harvest headquarters in Chicago to secure food donations from major food manufacturers. Food Lifeline's truck drivers and warehouse specialists are on stand by to go where America's Second Harvest needs them to deliver food and begin setting up warehouse operations to help hurricane survivors.
Food Lifeline continues to respond to the needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. More than 53,000 pounds of food and water have been sent from Food Lifeline to emergency housing centers where evacuees are being cared for.
Food Lifeline is soliciting food donations from food industry sources for local and national use. Members of the food industry are offering truck loads of product to replenish local food bank supplies and to go to hurricane evacuation centers in the south.
Locally, the community's response is remarkably generous. Washington residents are organizing fund-raising events to collect money for Food Lifeline. To find out how you can help, and for all the most recent news about our response to Hurricane Katrina, go to www.foodlifeline.org.
Money is important at this time because of the costs of transporting food, water and staff to the emergency relief centers. The need is great and donations of funds provide for the much-needed items to be transported.
Food Lifeline is actively involved in the disaster response because of its affiliation with America's Second Harvest, the Nation's Food Bank Network. Ten affiliates, similar to Food Lifeline, in Hurricane Katrina's path were damaged or destroyed.
America's Second Harvest is reaching out to its affiliates nationwide to respond with food, water, trucks, and staff to help create replacement food distribution centers to serve hurricane survivors.
Persons wanting to donate funds can go to www.foodlifeline.org or www.secondharvest.org.
Volunteers also are needed at Food Lifeline to help repack food for both hurricane victims and for local food bank needs. To find out more about volunteering, go to www.foodlifeline.org.
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About Food Lifeline
Food Lifeline is the largest non-profit food distribution organization in Washington dedicated to hunger relief, and is the Western Washington affiliate of America's Second Harvest.
Food Lifeline secures 21 million pounds of food a year and distributes it through a Western Washington network of more than 250 neighborhood food banks, hot meal programs and shelters.
To learn more, check out www.foodlifeline.org. Food Lifeline is located at 1702 NE 150th St., Shoreline, WA 98155-7226. For more information about Food Lifeline call (206) 545-6600 or (800) 404-7543.
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About America's Second Harvest
The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a national network of 200 regional member food banks and food rescue programs serving all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The network secures and distributes nearly two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. The Network supports 50,000 agencies including food panties, soup kitchens, shelters and children's programs. These organizations provide food to more than 23 million hungry Americans including more than 9 million children and 3 million seniors each year. For more information visit www.secondharvest.org.
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Contact Information
Leslie Kelly
Media and Community Relations Coordinator for Food Lifeline
(206) 545-6600, ext. 267
lesliek@fll.org
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