Responding to Disaster – Hurricanes Helene, Milton and the Ensuing Tornadoes

As some of you may have seen through news coverage BBF has recently received, Hurricanes Helene and Milton, along with the ensuing tornadoes in South Florida, have been a major focal point of our work since early October. Your generosity along with the added support of local foundations, has allowed BBF to commit over a million dollars to assist those affected by the disasters. BBF has also received multiple truckloads of PPE and other medical supplies from Highmark/AHN, over 100,000 bottles of water from Giant Eagle, two truckloads of safety equipment from MSA, more than 2,500 bottles of Boost nutritional drink from Owens & Minor, and thousands of hygiene kits donated and packed in our Behan warehouse by community members across Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas.

BBF’s response and recovery efforts include three key phases:

1. Providing Financial support to help partners such as foodbanks, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Free Clinics, and local community organizations – allowing them to address immediate needs through the purchase of critical supplies and ensure that vulnerable members of society receive essential medical care.
   
2. Sending Relief shipments of needed humanitarian and medical supplies such as blankets, hygiene kits, nutritional supplements, water, tarps, diapers, cleaning products, PPE, goggles, wipes, and generators.
   
3. Recovery support including mental health and infrastructure repairs based on community needs.

As part of our relief efforts, BBF has provided financial support to seven foodbanks in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, along with ten FQHCs and free clinics located across communities impacted by disaster in all three states. Our first three truckloads of relief shipments included the bottled water, nutritional supplement, and hygiene kits mentioned earlier. These were sent to Asheville, North Carolina, Macon, Georgia, and Tampa Bay, Florida. With electricity still unavailable and temperatures falling in some of the storm hit areas, BBF then sent three truckloads of generators to assist families as they attempt to recover from the devastation. BBF is now supporting local community organizations that are helping with recovery and rebuilding efforts.

You may recall from BBF’s response to the wildfires in Maui that helping address the mental health needs of those affected by disaster is a key aspect of our work. A post hurricane evaluation by our partners concluded that there was already adequate available capacity in the affected areas.

The excerpts below from our partners perhaps best express the impact that you are making through your generosity.

Harry Chapin Food Bank, Ft. Myers, Florida

BBF’s support …will enable us to supply approximately 14,000 meals, to those impacted by the hurricane. This support will be critical in helping us address the immediate surge in food insecurity following the disaster. With your partnership, we can ensure that our neighbors have access to essential nourishment and clean water during this time of crisis.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), Tallahassee, Florida

APD supports individuals with unique abilities and their families in living, learning and working within their communities by creating multiple pathways to possibilities.

To be eligible for APD services, a person must have one or more of the following diagnoses: Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disability, Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Spina Bifida

APD, in working with Volunteer Florida and Farm Share, will distribute the generators, carbon monoxide detectors, and safety information to identified Group Homes. This generous donation from BBF is so greatly appreciated and will make a huge difference in the safety and well-being of Group Home residents and the staff who care for them.

I hope these first-hand accounts were able to convey the difference you are making in so many lives. It is invaluable and indeed lifesaving.

As always, thank you so much for your trust and support of BBF and our work here at home and around the world!