America's Second Harvest and Federal Emergency Management Agency Sign Disaster Relief Memorandum of Understanding

Agreement formalizes partnered assistance to victims of domestic disasters

CHICAGO --- Aug. 9, 2005 --- America's Second Harvest – The Nation's Food Bank Network today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to formalize a partnership in planning for and responding to disasters.

The agreement was signed by Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response and Robert Forney, President and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Second Harvest, at a ceremony in Washington DC.

"This is important public sector / private sector partnership that will ensure a swift response to disasters and ensure that emergency food, water and grocery products can be quickly moved to people in need," said Forney. "FEMA will now provide surplus relief supplies and products to food banks in disaster areas. The Agency will work with America's Second Harvest to help coordinate emergency volunteer efforts at the national, state and local levels in response to disasters."

In response to Hurricane Dennis earlier this year, America's Second Harvest provided more than 480,000 pounds of grocery products to the most affected areas. During the 2004 hurricanes that hit the Southeast, Network food banks distribute more than 4 million pounds of food and beverage product.  America's Second Harvest became involved in disaster relief during the Hurricane Hugo relief effort in 1989 which required substantial feeding and logistical resources to feed the thousands of people displaced due to the killer storm.

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America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization with a Network of more than 200 regional member food banks and food - rescue programs serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.  The America's Second Harvest Network secures and distributes nearly two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually.  The America's Second Harvest Network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. Last year, the America's Second Harvest Network provided food assistance to more than 23 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including more than nine million children and nearly three million seniors.  For more on America's Second Harvest, please visit www.secondharvest.org.

Contact:

Ross Fraser
Media Relations
312-263-2303, ext. 127
rfraser@secondharvest.org