Written by Janie Bohlmann, regional communications manager for American Red Cross of Indiana.
Through our Community Adaptation Program (CAP), the Red Cross is working to build more resilient communities and empower those living in disaster-prone areas. Our CAP team in Lake County, Indiana, is focused on increasing access to health, hunger and housing solutions and we are proud to partner with local organizations like the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.
“Our focus is to feed people today and end hunger tomorrow in collaboration with our community and various programmatic partners. On average the Food Bank helps over 60,000 people per month,” said The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana’s Chief Executive Officer, Victor Garcia.
The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana serves both Lake and Porter Counties, and leaders estimate nearly 100,000 individuals in the area are food insecure and lack access to nutritious food. While the Food Bank has not experienced a disruption in service due to a disaster, the area is also prone to flooding, extreme cold, severe storms and power outages.
“When I joined the Lake County CAP team, I contacted Victor to learn more about the behind-the-scenes aspect of the organization and how we could invest in them to ensure they can continue to serve the community during times of disaster,” said Community Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator Britney Rice.
With the Lake County CAP team, Victor and other leaders at the Food Bank worked to identify gaps in their resiliency plan. Together, they discovered a backup generator for their cold storage facilities would help prevent food from spoiling during events like a power outage. In March, the Food Bank celebrated the installation of a new backup generator, funded by the American Red Cross and made possible due to the collaboration and support of our CAP team.
“With our new backup generator, we don’t have to worry about perishable foods going to waste during a disaster,” said Victor. “Coupled with our fleet of refrigerated trucks and vehicles, we are ready to respond to the needs of our neighbors at a moment’s notice.”
This partnership helps enhance the Food Bank’s operations during a disaster and strengthens their ability to provide help to local families and individuals when it’s needed most. As disasters become more frequent and intense, our CAP program allows us to increase community resiliency and make a more meaningful impact.
“This partnership is a perfect example of how different non-profit entities can combine resources to have a meaningful impact on the community,” said Victor. “By working together, we are all stronger.”