Food bank still needs help as it recovers from flood
Fayette County Community Action Agency Food Bank project manager Jamie Brink describes the damage when the main warehouse area filled with three feet of flood water the day before Thanksgiving.
Tony Thomas, warehouse worker, fills an order to be distributed to one of the county's food pantries as the operations at the Fayette County Community Action Agency's Food Bank return to normal after a November flood curtailed operations.
Volunteer Bill Showman cleans the Fayette County Community Action Agency Food Bank's nutrition education kitchen after it was closed because of flooding.
Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame recently donated $500 to Fayette County Community Action Agency Inc.'s food bank to purchase food and repair damaged equipment caused by the Nov. 22-23 flood. Accepting the check are (from left) James Stark, FCCAA's chief executive officer, and Jamie Brink, project manager of the food bank. Tom Sankovich, second from right, and Jes Hutson, board members of Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame, presented the check.
Fayette County Community Action Food Bank is on the road to recovery after last month’s flooding but still in need of help.
Jamie Brink, project manager, estimated the food bank lost about $35,000 in food, while the amount of damage to equipment is still being determined.
“It could have been a lot worse. We were thankful that no one was hurt and blessed there was not more damage,” said Brink.
The damage occurred when Redstone Creek, which is located near the food bank on North Beeson Boulevard in Uniontown, became swollen after heavy rain and flooded the area the night of Nov. 22-23, just before Thanksgiving. Floodwater damaged the food bank furnace, food coolers and freezers, computers, office furniture and equipment, carpeting and various office, warehouse and maintenance supplies in addition to 30 tons of food. The water ran as deep as 3 feet in the holding area of the warehouse.
The flooding did not affect food distribution for Thanksgiving, which was on Nov. 24, because orders already had been filled. The food bank serves 3,000 households in 49 food pantries throughout Fayette County, as well as an additional 936 senior citizens through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
But the flooding affected the December distribution, including two food pantry sites, Sanson Chapel in Farmington and Caring People in Markleysburg, which decided to go ahead with their scheduled distribution dates using their own products. In addition, the food bank was unable to service five senior sites for the supplemental food program distribution.
The food bank reopened Dec. 2. Items for December food baskets are down but Brink explained that clients are still receiving three different vegetables, three different fruits, cereal, 10 pounds of chicken, eggs and juice.
Cindy Ekas-Brown, who does public relations and marketing for Community Action, noted the flooding came at a bad time because of a combined $20,000 cutbacks in federal and state funding to the food bank this fiscal year.
But she said a recent $250,000 renovation project that included installing a sidewalk with a curb in front of the building took some of the water away from the food bank and prevented more damage.
In the aftermath of the flooding, food bank employees and the community were quick to respond to the crisis. Brink said workers filled six or seven large trash containers with debris — four of them food. Federal and state inspectors came right away to allow the food bank to reopen as soon as possible.
Donations received after the flood included $10,000 each from the Allegheny Foundation in Pittsburgh and Grainger Equipment in West Virginia. Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame contributed $500.
Anyone who would like to send a donation should make it out to Fayette County Community Action Agency Food Bank and mark “food bank flood” in the memo line of the check. The donations should be sent to 119 N. Beeson Boulevard, Uniontown, PA 15401. Anyone collecting food for the food bank is asked to call 724-437-6050, extension 1264.
, to make arrangements to receive the items.