WELCOME BACK.
WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WHAT
IS GOING ON WITH A T
DTE FM XATO
UNAOR T
CBE TO OUR OWN COAST.
FOOD BANKS HAVE STEPPED INTO
THEIR ROLE AS A DISASTER RELIEF
AGENCY ABLE TO QUICKLY DELIVER
DONATED GOO.
WITH SO MUCH INFRASTRUCTURE
DAMAGE FROM TEXAS TO FLORIDA,
ONE LONG ISLAND ANHA
HD TOHEONOF
N SE POURING AND
FROM LONG ISLANDERS WANTING TO
HELP NEIGHBORS DOWN SOUTH.
A BOTTLENECK CAUSED BY LACK OF
POWER.
THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY.
THERE IS NO REFRIGERATION.
TO GET INTOOF A
COME YOU CANNOT PASS.
THEY ARE NOT ALLOWING.
SOME LOCALS STEPPED
FORWARD TO DONATE SPACE TO EASE
THE JAM WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY
BROKEN WHEN A MAJOR
REFRIGERATED WAREHOUSED N VAAHGEGIA
ALLOWING TRUCKS TO START
ROLLING SOUTH.
WE HAVE ISLAND HARVEST.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS.
WHERE DO THIANWI
T SPMTS
A IALD
NOTES
AND THINGS HAPPENING IN
FLORIDA, BUT NOW WE HAVE BEEN
CALLED UPON FOR PUERTO RICO.
PUERTO RICO AS WELL.
THAT IS NOT EVEN IN THE
CONTINENTAL U.S. YOU ARE
EXTENDING YOUR NETWORK OF HELP
THAT FAR?
WE ARE ABLE TO LEND OUR
SUPPORT.
WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING FOR
PUERTO RICO?
WE HAVE BEEN CONTACTED.
WE WILL BE SENDING ABOUT EIGHT
TRACTOR TRAILER LOADS.
ABOUT 240,000 POUN OF FOOD
DER.
YOU HAVE THAT MUCH STUFF
COLLECTED?
YES.
SINCE THEN, WE HAVE COLLECTED
OVER 400,000 POUNDS OF PRODUCT.
WE DONATED WAREHOUSE SPACE AT
DIFFERENT LOCATIONS BECAUSE THE
OVERFLOW IS OVERWHELMING.
THAT IS 200 TONS.
THAT IS A HUGE AMOUNTS.
WHO ON LONG ISLAND WAS DONATING
THIS?
WE HAVE FIRE DEPARTMENTS.
NOT ONLY FOOD --
BUT FUNDS AND EQUIPMENT.
WE HAVE DONATIONS OF WAREHOUSE
SPACE. YOU HAVE INDIVIDUALS
-- TROOPS
-- GIRL SCOUT TROOPS, BOY SCOUT
TROOPS, FIRE DEPARTMENTS,
CORPORATIONS -- EVERYBODY HAS
COME OUT TO SHOW LOVE AND
SUPPORT.
I HAVE SEEN PEOPLEKING
IWAE OX
AND THEY A LIKE, CAN I HELP?
AND THEY ARE STACKED TO THE
CEILING BUT PEOPLE WILL BRING
BOXES AND
VDBO 200 MINI
FOOD DRIVES ACROSS LONG ISLAND
THAT HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING US.
IT ALLEL.
SO HOW DO WE GET THE DONATIONS
DOWN TO PUERTO RICO?
THE EFFORTS ARE EDHRGH "FEEDING
AMERICA."
THEY ARE SENDING A TRUCK
THROUGH US AND THEY WILL SEND
THAT OUT THREE UNITED AIRLINES.
YOU WILL FLY THAT I
OU A CGOLA.
SO HERE YOU ARE HELPING IN
PUERTO RICO.
YOU WERE ALREADY HELPING DOWN
SOUTH.
THE ROLE OF FOOD BANKS HAS
TRULY CHANGED.
IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A
COUPLE OF DECADES.
THE RELIEF AGENCY SAW THAT WE
HAVE A READY-MADE HELPING HAND
HERE. AND YOU HAVE AN
ESTABLISHED TRUCKING NETWORK
WITH WAREHOUSE SPACE.
AND YOU HAVE EMERGED IN THIS
ROLE.
NOW YOU ARE GOING TO PUERTO
RICO.
THIS USED TO BE A LONG ISLAND
NK.
YES AND WE ARE STILL A LONG
ISLAND FOOD BANK.
WE HAVE HAD A DISASTER RESE
CENTER EVER SINCE
SANDY CAME UPON US.
WE LEARNED A LOT OF THINGS.
WE DECIDED WE WOULD OPEN UP A
RESOURCE CENTER SO WE CANNOT
ONLY HELP THE PEOPLE ON LONG
ISLAND BUT ANYONE IN NEED AND
PART OF THE FEEDING AMERICA
NETWORK.
EXPLAIN HOW YOU STARTED
SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
PART OF IT IS THAT WE WERE SO
GENEROUS ON LLA
BEUSYOHA TEE
WAREHOUSES AND THEY QUICKLY
FILLED UP.
YES.
I THINK WHAT WEAS THE
OUTPOURING WITH SANDY. WE SAW
HOW MUCH SUPPORT AND HOW MUCH
PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO GIVE,
THAT WE EN I UP AND SENT
OUT INFORMATION ACROSS LONG
ISLAND AND STARTED SAYING --
IF YOU ARE WILLING TO HELP, WE
ARE GOING TO COLLECT. AND THE
DONATIONS STARTED COMING.
IT IS THE MOST YOU HAVE
EVER HAD? ARE YOU SURPRISED BY
WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN?
I'M NOT REALLY SURPRISED
BEUSE DURING SANDY, WE HAD AN
OVERWHELMING RESPONSE.
WE WERE EXPECTING IT.
BUT WE DID NOT EXPECT IT TO BE
AS FAST.
AND TALK ABOUT THE
BUSINESS PEOPLE THAT STEPPED
FORWARD WHEN THEY HEARY
REN JAM.
WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, WE
WERE ASSESSING TO SEE YOU AT
THE NEEDS WERE.
WE DID NOT HAVEUCS.
SO THEY SAID, LISTEN.
WE HAVE CONTAINERS YOU CAN USE.
THEY BROUGHT US CONTAINERS.
I SAID, I NEED WAREHOUSE SPACE.
BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE OUR OWN
BUSINESS THAT WE HAVE TO HANDLE.
WE STILL HAVE A NETWORK ON LONG
ISLAND THAT WE HAVE TO FEED.
SO WE OPENED THE SPACE.
IT IS A BIG THING.
IF YOU RENT IN THAT SPACE,
IT CAN BE BIG-MONEY.
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT ON
THE PART OF LOCAL BUSINESS TO
LEND A HAND IN WHATEVER WAY
THEY CAN.
YES.
IT IS CRITICAL NOW.
THIS IS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD
BE DONE.
WHAT IS THE PRIORITY NOW?
THE PRIORITY IN FLORIDA
HAS BEEN WATER AND POP TOP
CANNED FOODS.
IN TEXAS, THEY HAVE THE SAME
NEEDS.
RTCO -- I THINK ALL
THREE AREAS
-- FOUR AREAS THAT WE ARE
SUPPORTING AT THIS POINT IS THE
SAME THING.
POP TOP CANS, HEALTH AND BEAUTY
AID, WATER THOSE THINGS THAT DO
NOT REQUIRE ELECTRICITY TO
UTILIZE.
BECAUSE THERE IS ELECTRICITY IN
SOME AREAS IN FLORIDA BUT NOT
ALL AREAS.
AND PEOPLE MAY NOT EVEN BE
ABLE TO GET SOMETHING SIMPLE
LIKE A CAN OPENER THAT YOU
W TE R AND MOST OF
THTI.
THAT IS WHY THE POP TOP CANS.
EXACTLY.
AND WE LIKE THE CONVENIENCE
OF THAT ANYWAY.
I
WLSSTCK BY THE TOYS
THAT PEOPLE DONATED.
BECAUSE THAT IS KIND OF
HEARTBREAKING.
IT IS.
SOME AREAS LOST EVERYTHING.
TO KEEP A CHILD HAPPY -- THEY
HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE DISASTER
THAT THEY ARE DISPLACED.
PEOPLE HAVE POURED OUT AND
GIVEN TOYS TO CHILDREN.
THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO LIMIT
THE CLOTHING -- GENTLY USED
CLOTHING AND TOYS AT THIS POINT
OR BECAEYUSNG
SS THE INFRASTRUCTURE
DAMAGE.
THEY HAVE NOWHERE TO STORE
ANYTHING. SO IT IS LIKE TAKE
AND GO.
OR EAT AND GO.
SO THE FOOD AND WATER -- AND
FUNDS.
FUNDS IS NUMBER ONE.
BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THE
NEEDS ARE.
AND THEY CAN BUY IT.
THEY HAVE BETTER BUYING POWER
THROUGH THE FEEDING AMERICA
NETWORK TO PURCHASE WHATEVER
TNE CA.
WHAT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD IS
TO KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE
YOU DOING TH.
YOU HAVE TO GET UP EVERY DAY
AND DECIDE TO GO HELP SOMEONE
OUT AND IT CAN BE A JOB.
BUT IT IS REALLY A MISSION R
YOU
AND THE FOLKS OF WHAT -- 8000
VOLUNTEERS?
YES.
A REMARKABLE AMOUNT OF
PEOPLE DOING THIS.
IT
IS MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE.
WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT PEOPLE
MAKING A DIFFERENCE A LITTLE
BIT MORE.
ISLAND HARVEST. THANK YOU FOR
BEING OUR GUEST THIS MORNING.
STILL AHEAD, SOME HIGH
SCHOOL TEENAGERS THAT SURVIVED
