Treasure Coast Food Bank
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As Hurricane Ian makes its way across Florida, Treasure Coast Food Bank will remain in operation, preparing meals and staging supplies for distribution once the storm has passed.
The staff is coordinating with county, regional, state, and national partners who are monitoring the hurricane. As part of the Emergency Operations Center team to provide food and water to the community, Treasure Coast Food Bank stands ready to distribute food, water, and other essentials in cooperation with local disaster relief organizations once it is safe to do so.
Treasure Coast Food Bank is preparing meals in its Food Production Kitchen to be distributed once the hurricane has passed. It also pre-staged additional food with partner agencies throughout its four-county service area of Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee counties to provide meals to people in need immediately after the storm.
“We are preparing meals for our partners and for other Florida food banks who may need assistance,” said Judith Cruz, President and CEO of Treasure Coast Food Bank. “With every storm, we know there are low-lying areas on the Treasure Coast susceptible to flooding. Others on the Treasure Coast may have suffered damage from the tornados associated with Hurricane Ian. And we’re always aware that in rural areas like Okeechobee County where wells are common, a loss of power means a loss of water.”
The staff is staging water and ready-to-eat meals for the most-affected areas, Cruz said. Once the hurricane has passed, Treasure Coast Food Bank, in cooperation with first responders, will assess the needs of its service area. Working with the Feeding Florida statewide network of food banks, Treasure Coast Food Bank is ready to provide food, water, and other essential items to those in greatest need.
ABOUT TREASURE COAST FOOD BANK
Treasure Coast Food Bank is the only food bank and largest hunger relief organization on Florida’s Treasure Coast, providing the community each year with millions of meals valued at more than $50 million through robust programs and in partnership with 400 charitable organizations in Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee counties. In addition to emergency food distribution, Treasure Coast Food Bank operates a full roster of direct service programs that not only solve the immediate problem of hunger, but help individuals and families gain long-term food security, better health outcomes, and self-sufficiency. Treasure Coast Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. For more information on Treasure Coast Food Bank, call 772.489.3034, log on to stophunger.org, visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/tcfoodbank, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/tcfoodbank.