Urgent Request For Food From The Bahamas, Food For The Poor Asking The Public To Help
COCONUT CREEK (CBSMiami) - Nearly six months after Hurricane Dorian decimated parts of the Bahamas, a lot of the relief aid has dried up.
Food For The Poor is responding to an urgent need for food in the Bahamas for families still recovering from Hurricane Dorian and is asking for the South Florida community's help.
HeadKnowles, one of the Food for the Poor's partners in the Bahamas, put out an urgent need for help. The charity said it is running low on food for displaced families in Nassau, Abaco and other islands, where some residents have opened their homes as shelter while others are living in public shelters. Detergent and cleaning supplies also are needed.
"A lot of people, even in areas that weren't hit that bad, they still need food because they're not working. Nobody has any money. Nobody has any income," said Gina Knowles, of HeadKnowles. "And those that do have any money are putting every dollar into getting their homes back to where their families can come home."
Dorian hit the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco in early September as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, killing at least 70 people and causing more than an estimated $3 billion in damage.
After the hurricane, donors generously gave money. Food For The Poor is using some of the money they received to purchase water filtration units, solar-powered lights, building materials, and truck chassis to help move and distribute goods. Those essentials are in process, according to the charity.
"Those longer-term items that are critical to the rebuilding of the Bahamas are underway but we're asking for the community's help in supplying some of these food items that are still needed nearly six months after the storm," said Food For The Poor President/CEO Ed Raine in a statement.
Some of the money Food for the Poor received is also going to purchase food. However, the need is great and they've asked for the community's help.
Items sought include canned corned beef, canned tuna, pasta, rice, beans, grits, canned spaghetti, pasta sauce, Vienna sausages, water, juices, Gatorade, detergent and cleaning supplies.
Items should be taken directly to the warehouse at 6401 Lyons Road in Coconut Creek. Those donating should follow the driveway around the right side of Food For The Poor. Drop-off hours are weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.