Extraordinary Partnerships: The American Red Cross and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Kitchens | Update from the Field: East Georgia Red Cross on the front lines

Extraordinary Partnerships:
The American Red Cross and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Kitchens
September 9, 2011

At 2:30 AM an additional partnership between Albany, NY and Binghamton, NY was from the American Red Cross and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Kitchen. This is not a new partnership for anyone related to Disaster Relief, but a 2 AM wakeup call, followed by the outdoor kitchens at the Arlington Baptist Church outside of Albany being fired up at 2:30 AM, for a most extraordinary Disaster Relief
Operation.

The Binghamton, NY American Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation escalated in response to 8 plus
inches of rain and an historic flood level of the Susquehanna River. The sudden and urgent need to shelter thousands of residents evacuated from their homes and in need of food, created a feeding need that had to be met. Over the next 6 hours, the Southern Baptists prepared 5,000 boxed lunches and an additional 5,000 hot meals, to be transported by the American Red Cross Emergency, to those in greatest need.

I arrived at the outdoor kitchen at 8:30 AM and found a flurry of activity as the final preparations were
made to transport the 10,000 meals. When asked why the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Kitchen
partners with the Red Cross, Kitchen Manager, Karen Warren stated, “When we come into an area where people are hopeless, and they see then they see people out there who love them, they gain hope because someone cares. Nothing is better than knowing you have done some good.”

American Red Cross Kitchen Manager, Bobby Roberts, runs a tight ship but with a great southern humor. Bobby comes to the Hurricane Irene American Red Cross relief operation in Northeast New York from Columbia, SC. Bobby has been serving through the Red Cross for many years and gains satisfaction in knowing that the most important basic needs of people, devastated by disaster, are being met through the Red Cross and our partners.


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Update from the Field: East Georgia Red Cross on the front lines of Hurricane Irene Disaster Relief




Jeff Taylor, Executive Director of East Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross is currently on the front lines of the Hurricane Irene aftermath in upstate New York. For daily updates from the field, follow Jeff on Facebook at Red Cross East Georgia and on Twitter @RedCrossEastGA or @taylorjeff7.

Thank you to our volunteers and donors--you are the lifeline of our organization.

Forklifts lift Spirits for American Red Cross Volunteers | Update from the Field: East Georgia Red Cross on the front lines

Forklifts lift Spirits for American Red Cross Volunteers

September 8, 2011

On a day of historic rain fall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, American Red Cross volunteers, Civil Air Patrol volunteers, and Americorps volunteers, all rejoiced when Gary Farrigan, Territory Sales manager of Tri-Lift, Inc., arrived to the Northeast New York American Red Cross warehouse with 3 forklifts. This donation from Tri-Lift not only makes lifting of heavy bulk items for the disaster relief operation easier and more efficient, but they also lifted the spirits of our volunteers who have been managing all deliveries, supplies and shipments by hand.

Ken Warkentin has been a Red Cross volunteer since Hurricane Katrina and he is serving this operation as the warehouse manager. When the donation of the forklifts became a reality, Warkentin stated, “the generous donation from Tri-Lift takes chaos out of chaos when managing Bulk Distribution for a major Disaster Relief Operation.”  The arrival, on the day after 8 new inches of rain to the greater Albany area created massive flooding throughout the region, “boosts morale for our volunteers.” Warkentin continued by stating, “the donation of the warehouse, and now the donation of 3 forklifts, will allow our volunteers to see the fruits of their labor, which in turn raises their spirits and motivates them to extend their service which now exceeds 10 days of relentless work.”

Gary Farrigan could not have been more pleased and honored to make the forklifts a reality. Farrigan shared, “We (Tri-Lift, Inc.) have customers in all of the devastated areas and we wanted to donate something that would really help.”  When Farrigan presented the keys to the volunteers in the warehouse, cheers and applause erupted.  On a dreary day of floods, Tri-Lift, Inc. became a hero to the American Red Cross. As one Americorps volunteer shared, “I had no idea that 3 forklifts could lift more than bulk items; we are lifted in spirit and we are thankful.”

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Update from the Field: East Georgia Red Cross on the front lines of Hurricane Irene Disaster Relief


Jeff Taylor, Executive Director of East Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross is currently on the front lines of the Hurricane Irene aftermath in upstate New York. For daily updates from the field, follow Jeff on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/redcrossega and on Twitter @RedCrossEastGA or @taylorjeff7.

Thank you to our volunteers and donors--you are the lifeline of our organization.

A safe place to go when our whole world has been turned upside down... | Update from the Field: East Georgia Red Cross on the front lines

Brenda Ell and her 3 foster children know the Fonda Fultonville Central School in Fonda, NY better than they thought. For the second time in a week, the Ell's have been evacuated from their home in nearby Fultonville, but have found safe haven in the American Red Cross shelter. Brenda and the children are grateful for good food, a cot, and with help from the school Superintendent, the auditorium was turned into a children's movie theater. 


When asked what happened to their home in Fultonville, we learned that a mudslide into their home had caused their evacuation. Brenda and her husband have a second home, but unfortunately it sits on the river bank in Binghamton where record flooding is causing massive evacuations. The impact of Hurricane Irene and the latest flooding from Tropical Storm Lee, is leaving behind a mammoth foot print. Brenda shares, "The American Red Cross and all the volunteers have given us a safe place to go for comfort when our whole world has been turned upside down."


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Update from the Field: East Georgia Red Cross on the front lines of Hurricane Irene Disaster Relief




Jeff Taylor, Executive Director of East Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross is currently on the front lines of the Hurricane Irene aftermath in upstate New York. For daily updates from the field, follow Jeff on Facebook at Red Cross East Georgia and on Twitter @RedCrossEastGA or @taylorjeff7.

Thank you to our volunteers and donors--you are the lifeline of our organization.

From Fires to Floods: The American Red Cross Will Be There.

As the saying goes: When it rains, it pours. Or in this case, it floods.

In just a short period of 11 days, the American Red Cross has been flooded with disaster relief needs around the nation. The United States has been hit with everything from hurricanes to tropical storms to tornadoes to floods to even wildfires. These disasters have left families with destroyed homes, if a home at all. People’s lives have been uprooted, making getting the daily necessities, such as clean clothes and food, a struggle for those affected.

The American Red Cross has heard the call and responded. After Hurricane Irene, disaster relief volunteers from all over the nation found themselves all along the East Coast, serving more than 1.6 million meals and snacks and providing approximately 58,000 overnight shelters since August 27. As people begin the grueling and overwhelming task of cleaning up their homes and towns after the hurricane, volunteers have given out more than 516,000 relief items such as hygiene kits, mops, brooms, tarps, work gloves and coolers.

On the other side of the nation, in areas in Texas, Oklahoma and Oregon, the Red Cross has opened shelters to house families that were forced to evacuate because of wildfires. In Texas alone, more than 450 people spent Monday night in 10 Red Cross shelters.

A bit north of these shelters, nearly 100 people in North Dakota continue to rely on the Red Cross for shelter, after disastrous flooding removed them from their homes back in June.

Although it is easy to see that the Red Cross provides survival essentials, such as shelter and food, perhaps the most important thing the Red Cross has to offer is its presence. People displaced from their homes, still reeling from the shock, take comfort in knowing that there are still good people out there, willing to stop everything they are doing and run to their aid. This is what people need the most and this is what the Red Cross stands for.

Be a part of the mission and be there.

**It is already estimated that Red Cross relief services for Hurricane Irene alone will total to $10 to $15 million. Help the cause.**

Volunteers Have Loads of Hope with Tide & The American Red Cross

Nick Lastrina and Daryl O’Neal love to serve and have found their home with “Loads of Hope.” In a partnership between the American Red Cross, Tide and Duracell, these two men have found that by serving those devastated by natural disaster, they have gained much more than they have given.  For Lastrina, this is his fifth major event of the summer, and despite many long weeks away from his home in New Hampshire, helping people is his motivation.

Loads of Hope has one large truck, equipped with washers, dryers and unlimited supplies of Tide detergent.  Currently they are located in the Wal-Mart parking lot, alongside their partner company, Duracell, in Cobleskill, NY. There is a steady flow of citizens bringing all of the salvageable clothes they own in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, and they always leave with “huge smiles and grateful hearts,” according to Lastrina.

Lastrina states, “If they come to the Wal-Mart parking lot, we are simply trying to lighten their load and the American Red Cross partnership allows us to do that.

In addition to the great service that Loads of Hope provides the community, they also employ local citizens wherever they set up their truck. O’Neil commented, “this is just one more way that we are able to give back to the community and help boost the economy after disaster strikes.’

Tide, Duracell and the American Red Cross will continue to meet the needs of those devastated by Hurricane Irene until the job is done.

Duracell partners with the American Red Cross

The Duracell Company, along with Tide's Loads of Hope, has been working side-by-side with the American Red Cross in Cobleskill. “We have had a steady flow of citizens coming to us for batteries.  So far we have given out over 100 cases of “D” batteries and the need continues to exist,” said Eric Cannon of Duracell.

Duracell has had a great partnership with the Red Cross, particularly in determining “where the need is greatest.” One of the considerations in deciding where to send the Duracell truck is determining where access to the truck, Loads of Hope and the Red Cross is greatest: “We don’t want to set up a truck in an area that is protected by the National Guard. If the Guard is not permitting outside citizens to enter a particular town, we won’t set up our truck. It is important that Duracell, Loads of Hope and the American Red Cross are accessible by the greatest population,” said Cannon.

One of the difficulties with the Hurricane Irene operation is that the footprint of the storm was so large; it was difficult to immediately determine where to send the Duracell truck.  Cannon also pointed out that the Red Cross was having a significant and positive impact in Cobleskill; the people in that region seemed to really appreciate what the Red Cross volunteers were providing.

Volunteer's Culinary Group helps feed the masses in New York & New Jersey

Jim Carrigan, an American Red Cross volunteer and lead with Whitsons Culinary Group, drove the first 5 trucks of meals into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  The partnership with the American Red Cross and Whitsons Culinary Group is vibrant and incredible.

Over the past week, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, Jim and his crew have been serving 10,000 meals per day in Patterson, NJ. He received a call to come help us here in Albany where the Arbor Hill Elementary School already has a contract with Whitsons.  Jim and his local staff prepared 5,000 sandwiches and 16,000 meals today, and though he would like to continue on and provide more for the duration of the Disaster Relief Operation, he is pleased with the Southern Baptist contract that will assume full kitchen work beginning tomorrow.  Jim was heading back to Patterson where they will continue their efforts to provide 8,000 meals resuming Sunday, September 4.

Jim shared, "It was quite a sight this morning when we loaded 15 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV's) from the loading dock of the Arbor Hill School. We love volunteering for the American Red Cross, and this storm relief operation is much bigger than anyone seems to know."  Jim is committed to the mission of the American Red Cross, as is the entire staff and company at Whitsons Culinary Group.

Jim closed by sending his best wishes and thoughts to all of the American Red Cross volunteers.  Jim concluded by adding, "You have a major work ahead of you in the Greater Albany region, and the country needs to know that the work is far from over."