Second Harvest Column - 03/30/07

By Lois Rockhill

The rains came and the river kept rising. My grandson and I made many trips out back to keep tabs on it. Our house is just high enough aground that we don't worry about it taking in water. But with the river only a flood field from our back door, we quickly get involved in the drama of the river rising.Nathan and I marked its progress by putting sticks in the ground at the point where the water was closest to the house. As the river rose, we moved the stick forward until once again it had river water lapping at its base.

This continued all day Saturday. By evening our sticks were no longer surrounded by water. Sunday morning showed a marked retreat and by late afternoon, while not within its banks, you could at least see the demarcation.

A drive around town and pictures in the morning paper showed that some crisis work had already taken place. Extremely low places that would impact traffic areas had been sandbagged.

Not only do I keep my eye on the river during critical times, I also keep my radar on for trouble spots in the eight counties served by Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. We have a role to play in emergencies, and I want to be aware of weather conditions, health crisis and major emergencies that could require mass feeding operations.

Our core work is centered around providing food to hungry people and those on the brink of hunger. We traditionally do this by supplying a network of pantries and meal programs. Additionally, we have the responsibility of supporting emergency relief activities by providing logistics, storage and distribution of donated food in times of need.

As a national network, the role of regional food banks in disaster relief was never more apparent than during the hurricane crisis along the Gulf Coast in 2005. With coordination from America's Second Harvest and with volunteers from food banks throughout the nation, we were among the first responders and certainly a vital link to other organizations that set up shelters and kitchens to support workers and aid those who were left without homes.

Locally, we can be counted on to support Red Cross, Salvation Army and other first responders with food and supplies for their disaster relief work. Our connections with our national body mean that we have the ability to call on a national disaster response team that can bring in personnel and supplies from throughout the nation if we need such help.

During the ice storms in January 2005, we had our trucks on the road delivering food to shelters in the affected counties. Currently, we are working with a collaborating group of organizations around disaster preparedness with particular attention to the possibility of a pandemic. Our contribution is our knowledge and experience with the food supply chain, our logistical abilities -- we know how to truck food in and out, and our capacity to warehouse and distribute food. We work daily with an expansive network of charities in East Central Indiana and have the ability to engage many of them in disaster relief work as well.

We had a load of people driving down our street to check the river over the weekend. Lots of eyes open and people ready to respond when needed. That's how communities take care of themselves and their neighbors, by being prepared and ready to respond. You can count on Second Harvest Food Bank to be in the mix when disaster strikes.

Lois Rockhill is Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana

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