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Mobile Feeding Units Serving at Shelters; Prepared to Serve Thousands of Meals in Wake of Historic Storm
As Hurricane Sandy moves on-shore today and into Tuesday, The Salvation Army is already beginning feeding operations at shelters along the East Coast. Additionally, dozens of mobile feeding units, able to serve thousands of meals, are stocked and ready to deploy into the most heavily impacted areas once it is safe to do so in coordination with emergency management officials. Crews will provide food, hydration, clean-up kits as well as emotional and spiritual care.
“The Salvation Army is mobilized and ready to serve,” said Major George Hood, national community relations secretary for The Salvation Army in the United States. “Our mobile feeding units and staff are strategically positioned and already beginning to serve at shelter locations throughout the East Coast.”
Specific Salvation Army activities include:
· In New Jersey, The Salvation Army is serving meals, snacks and drinks at 11 shelters in five counties. A full fleet of emergency response vehicles is ready to deploy if needed. This includes 10 fully-stocked mobile feeding units (canteens), two service vehicles, and one mobile command unit. A canteen is embedded with Task Force 1, the State’s official search and rescue team, at Lakehurst Naval Base and may travel with them as they are deployed throughout the state.
· In New York, The Salvation Army is coordinating with the local American Red Cross to provide volunteer support for shelters throughout Suffolk County. Eight canteens are equipped and ready to be deployed from the northern and western parts of the state.
· In Philadelphia, PA, The Salvation Army is working closely with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management to ready three shelters within the city to help ensure those impacted by Hurricane Sandy will have access to essential services and safety.
· In North Carolina, Salvation Army volunteers worked for 34 hours feeding residents at a shelter in Morehead City. The Salvation Army in New Bern also served evacuees at a local shelter. Eight volunteers and two officers prepared 120 meals.
·In Virginia, The Salvation Army in Hampton Roads has been providing shelter since Saturday evening. A shelter in downtown Norfolk has served 350 meals and distributed 70 hygiene kits so far.
· In Maryland, The Salvation Army of Salisbury served lunch to more than 200 persons at a shelter on Sunday. The Army is also in assisting with sheltering and feeding activities in Annapolis and other parts of the state.
· The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay informed of and heed all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a three-to-five day supply of food and water for each member of your family as well as flashlights, medication and battery powered radios.
The Salvation Army maintains a fleet of disaster vehicles and supply warehouses across the United States to enable speedy mobilization. There are more than 300 emergency response vehicles in the eastern and southern United States alone and nearly 600 units nationwide.
In addition to food, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care, The Salvation Army is also prepared to provide clean-up kits containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies; hygiene kits; shower units; first-aid supplies; and communications support.
The Salvation Army also provides a ministry of presence and compassionate care to residents looking for hope in the midst of turmoil. Pastoral care is available for all those impacted, but is not a prerequisite for receiving assistance. The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay informed of and heed all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a three-five day supply of food and water for each member of your family as well as flashlights, medication and battery powered radios.
The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by this disaster to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). Donors may also contribute $10 via their phone bill by text messaging the word STORM to 80888, and confirming the donation with the word, “Yes.” At this point, in-kind donations, such as used clothing and used furniture, are not being accepted for hurricane relief. However, these items are vital to supporting the day-to-day work of your local Salvation Army. Please consider giving these items to your local Salvation Army Family Store or dial 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).
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