Getting our Heads Above Water

In August, once-in-a-century flooding hit many of the communities we serve. While many were inconvenienced, some lost homes, vehicles, and more. Many have had to move in with relatives or stay in motels while they wait for damage to be repaired or try to find new long-term accommodations. As people begin to rebuild, they turn to the charitable food network to refill cupboards and fridges.

But just as people turn to us for aid, others have turned to us to offer support. We’ve seen an increase in donations, from the Ronald L. McDaniel Foundation and Nestle, as well as unexpected food donations. We saw dairy come in from Diversified Milk and Land O Lakes, and meat, one of the hardest categories of food to source, from Boar’s Head. We also saw nearly 30,000 pounds of disaster boxes with shelf-stable goods and encouraging words from Feeding America, our national affiliate. We had so many people turn up to volunteer with us at some of our distributions that we moved some to the warehouse to get ahead on orders.

This meant we were able to do a lot more for our neighbors, including extra tailgates in critical locations, and sending additional food, water, and disaster boxes to partners in affected areas. North Point Church, just down the road from us, even asked if we could help them run a distribution when the Convoy of Hope was in their parking lot. They’d seen us organize cars, and knew we knew what we were doing, and had traffic cones to spare.

At that distribution, a child set up a table to give away her stuffed animals, so that anyone who lost toys would have new ones.

We are honored to be a hub of hope for the community. Britany Goe, from our Senior Safety Net at The Village at White River, reported that they “had a few residents that were getting close to being out of food. Huge blessing you give to many! Thank you and your team for helping those devastated in the flood who lost so much. Second Harvest is a blessing to all!”

But while the flood water has receded, its impact will be felt for some time.

“The need is still there,” says Ralph Whysong, driver. “It’s the same as we saw during COVID.” As people begin to rebuild, they turn to the charitable food network to refill cupboards and fridges. It will be a long time before everyone returns to normal – but like with the pandemic, the new cycle moves faster than insurance adjusters.

We hope you’ll stand with us not just in a crisis, but going forward, so we can be ready for whatever comes. Thank you for being part of the community.