Member DashboardSocial Purpose Update
In the wake of the devastation caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton, NAFEM is grateful to our members who have given time, funds and food/supply donations to help their friends and neighbors in need. Our hearts go out to all industry members in the southeast, to the families and companies who have endured a one-two punch over the last several weeks. In response to the tragedies, NAFEM recently donated $15,000 of Social Purpose funds to World Central Kitchen (WCK), as well as $15,000 to the American Red Cross. Both organizations were on the ground almost immediately and have been working around the clock to assist those in need of food, shelter, and other emergency supplies.
NAFEM and our members regularly support Feeding America® as the primary recipient of our Social Purpose efforts. As a result of the hurricanes, Feeding America® says its food banks and partner state associations in Alabama, the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee have been hard hit. Feeding America® team members are engaging to help route food and water, raise funds, secure food donations, drive media awareness, conduct wellness checks, advocate for federal support, and more.
Hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers are focused on providing shelter, food, relief supplies and comfort to those affected by Helene and Milton. WCK is currently operating in four states: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. WCK relies on its Chef Corps members, restaurant and food truck partners, and volunteers, working shoulder-to-shoulder with local communities to blanket the devastated region with much needed food and water aid. WCK has trucks capable of providing up to 100,000 gallons of water a day. That’s more than one gallon of water per-day for each person living in the affected areas, offering a much-needed lifeline to those facing hardship and shortages.
Initial search & rescue and relief efforts in North Carolina were handled by AERObridge, an all-volunteer organization of pilots and ground volunteers who mobilized as soon as Hurricane Helene ended. Industry veteran and former FEDA president, Brad Pierce, president, Restaurant Equipment World, has been part of the AERObridge organization for 20+ years. The AERObridge mission is to assist in times of catastrophic emergency utilizing donated aircraft to provide a powerful, immediate response to disaster. They match aircraft with emergency response teams and critical supplies, resulting in the ability to respond to catastrophic disasters in a fluid and rapid manner.
In the immediate aftermath of Helene, AERObridge mobilized 200 aircraft and distributed 125,000 pounds of supplies. According to Pierce, “once we figure out where it’s safe to land our aircraft, we initiate a full-scale military-type deployment to provide all types of aid. It often takes federal/state/local organizations days to respond, and we can be on the ground within hours.” The volunteer pilots donate their time and cover fuel costs personally. They immediately contact large-scale partner organizations to obtain needed supplies, and they also rely heavily on local community-based resources to pinpoint exactly what is needed right away. Once FEMA and other aid organizations are in place, AERObridge and its volunteers begin to scale down.
Keep the region and these organizations in mind as you start or continue your social purpose efforts. NAFEM matches every donation your company makes of food, funds and volunteer time to your local Feeding America® member food bank, up to our $300,000 program maximum. Plus, you get two Priority Points annually.
As the affected communities dig out and start the incredibly long and arduous process of rebuilding, the need for assistance remains considerable. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without power and full restoration could take a year. And unfortunately, hurricane season goes on until the end of November. To donate food, funds or time, check out the following: