Keeping Food Flowing When the Power Is Out
Feeding Hungry People a Powerful Resource During Storm
Shoreline, WA, Dec. 18, 2006 -
Thanks to Mother Nature, more than one million people in Western Washington can now empathize with what it is like to go without. For most, they know there is "light" at the end of the tunnel. But for more than 560,000 hungry people, power or no power, gaining access to the basic necessities is a daily struggle.
On Friday, communities throughout the Puget Sound area pulled together to ensure that those who did not have power could get their needs met. For Food Lifeline, linking those who need food with those who have food is its job - and Friday was no exception. But, there were a few more hurdles: Food Lifeline's new distribution center in the SODO neighborhood of Seattle had power, but its offices in Shoreline did not. This meant that Food Lifeline's main phone line and inventory system were not accessible. However, orders for Friday had already been put together, so the distribution center was able to open up on time - a major feat in itself since the majority of its staff did not have power and had to dodge downed power lines and closed roads to get to the distribution center. Ultimately, all the food banks, meal programs and shelters depending on the product actually received it.
Another challenge was how to set up orders for the member agencies for today - Monday. Fortunately, power was restored at the Shoreline offices on Saturday and the distribution staff came in and created the orders. They then pulled the product very early this morning - along with the orders for Tuesday's pick-ups - to ensure that hungry individuals across Western Washington receive the food they need as soon as possible.
"Natural disasters such as the wind storm really highlight the need for organizations such as Food Lifeline. Because the infrastructure has been put in place to address the needs of vulnerable community members, Food Lifeline, along with so many other social service organizations are able to be there when normal systems fail, and ensure that an individual's most basic needs are met," said Linda Nageotte, Food Lifeline President & CEO.
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About Food Lifeline
Food Lifeline is the largest non-profit food bank distribution agency in Washington. Last year the organization delivered more than 21 million pounds of food to hungry people through its network of more than 250 neighborhood food banks, hot meal programs, shelters and other food providers. Food Lifeline is also a certified member of America's Second Harvest national food bank network. For more information about Food Lifeline, please contact Holly Firmin, Food Lifeline Marketing Manager at (206) 545-6600, ext. 255 or log onto www.foodlifeline.org.
Contact Information
Contact: Holly Firmin
Marketing Manager
Food Lifeline
206-545-6600, ext. 255
hollyf@fll.org
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