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November 1, 2004
Food relief to hurricane victims
provided by Society of St. Andrew
Food. Water. Shelter. Clothing. Jobs. The basics of life for hundreds of
thousands of people in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina were
rudely and ruthlessly destroyed by Charley, Frances and Ivan. During the
recent hurricane season, these three destructive storms indiscriminately
swept through, leaving shattered lives in their wake.
It takes many months, even years, to recover from such devastation,
during which time storm victims and entire communities rely on the help
and generosity of tens of thousands of strangers.
In response to the need, the Society of St. Andrew shipped about 400,000
pounds of food into these states last fall. Sweet and white potatoes,
watermelon and soy milk made up the majority of the fresh food donated
and delivered by this nationwide hunger-relief organization (Advance
#801600 and Meals for Millions Advance #982225).
Having no funds immediately
available for disaster relief at the time the hurricanes were wreaking
havoc, Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) put out a call to foundations that
know and support its work. The Charles A. Frueauff Foundation in Little
Rock, Arkansas immediately issued a sizable emergency grant and a
supporter in Austin, Texas made a generous personal donation.
These donations were used to ship the fresh, nutritious produce and two
tractor-trailer loads of soy milk donated to provide relief to residents
and volunteers helping with clean-up.
The sweet potatoes were donated to SoSA by North Carolina grower George
Wooten of W. E. Bailey Produce. Wooten has been a generous donor of
produce to SoSA since 1983. This donation totaled over 200,000 pounds.
80,000 pounds of the sweet potatoes went to Orlando, Florida where
inmates at Lake County Correctional Institution bagged them for
distribution from Orlando to St. Petersburg.
During the bagging, an inmate asked, “So you’re sending it (sweet
potatoes) to them people hit by the hurricanes? That’s real good. My
sister and her family live near Lakeland and I’m sure they be needing
some food. They had lots of damage to their house.” Another inmate said,
“I talked to my momma the other day and she’s got all kinds of roof
leaks.” And yet another regretfully commented, “I feel bad cause my
house needs to be fixed and my wife’s having to call someone else cause
I’m not home to fix it.”
Though the correctional facility was not damaged, inmates were still
affected by the hurricanes. Many of them were hurting with the
frustration of not being able to help their families during this time of
need. Their only source of satisfaction in the situation was evident
when an inmate commented, “We’re helping them people that needs it.”
In Georgia, United Methodist Men attending a rally in Eatonton bagged
another 40,000 pounds of Bailey Produce sweet potatoes that were
distributed to regional service agencies for those in need.
In Uniontown, Alabama, over 70 percent of the homes sustained some
damage, according to Red Cross estimates. No power, no water, no grocery
store for a week. The surrounding Perry County is one of the poorest in
the United States. “Folks there were most grateful to receive sweet
potatoes from the Society of St. Andrew,” said Rachel Gonia, SoSA’s
Alabama Hunger Relief Advocate. “40,000 pounds of potatoes were dumped
in the parking lot at City Hall and the Mayor’s office was responsible
for distributing them.” Mayor Philip White reported, “They were gone in
45 minutes!”
Two farms in Moultrie, Georgia donated 50,000 pounds of cold storage
watermelon. With the help of Operation Blessing, 10,000 pounds went to
agencies in Albany and Columbus, Georgia and 40,000 pounds to the food
bank in Tallahassee, Florida. Meanwhile, Art Shoemaker, SoSA’s Hunger
Relief Advocate in South Georgia, found thousands of pounds of excess
cucumbers and got them delivered to the Second Harvest Food Bank in
Valdosta, Georgia.
Nash Produce in North Carolina also donated sweet potatoes – 120,000
pounds of them. 40,000 pounds went to Miami where they were distributed
to all areas of the city from the Stop Hunger warehouse. 80,000 pounds
helped feed people in Marietta and Millidgeville, Georgia.
White potatoes donated to SoSA by Nature’s Way in North Carolina
provided relief in Miami and Murphy, North Carolina.
The BAG Foundation and Hope Relief Food Bank in Miami distributed 40,000
pounds to 15 different agencies.
“Murphy is a very poor, rural area in the North Carolina mountains,
where people live in impoverished conditions to begin with,” said Julia
Webb-Bowden, SoSA’s North Carolina Regional Director. “This area was
even further devastated by the hurricane.” 40,000 pounds of potatoes
were distributed there by two outreach ministries: Christian Love and
Bruised Reed Ministries.
Another 22,000 pounds of donated white potatoes were delivered from Katz
Sales in Wisconsin to the Stop Hunger warehouse in Miami.
The Society of St. Andrew periodically receives donations of food
products other than fresh produce. During this time of emergency need,
Bargain Max, Inc. donated two tractor-trailer loads of Soy Milk. One
load went to Pace, Florida, where SoSA’s Alabama-West Florida Hunger
Relief Advocate, Chuck Christian, arranged distribution. The second load
went to the Stop Hunger warehouse in Miami.
Financial support is still urgently needed, as whole crops were lost in
hurricane-damaged states, necessitating sending more food in coming
months. The 1.5 million servings of fresh food and soy milk are now
consumed. But the need continues. You can help by contacting the Society
of St. Andrew: 800-333-4597; sosausa@endhunger.org www.endhunger.org.
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