A 6.4 magnitude earthquake on July 4 and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on July 5 remind Californians that it’s essential to support local emergency relief organizations.

While it is important for everyone to do their best to prepare for inevitable natural disasters, it is not realistic for individuals and families to prepare for every possibility or every emergency. Fortunately, there are organizations like the Food Bank that collaborate, train and plan all year long to be ready when natural disasters impact our communities.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is part of the Emergency Network of Los Angeles (ENLA)

Events like earthquakes can’t be prevented, but there are things we can as individuals, and as a community, do to prepare. Recent events have inspired many to create emergency kits, discuss plans and checkpoints and consider what they’ll do when the next geological event occurs. These efforts are worthwhile and can make a big difference in how well you’re able to recover after a disaster. But sometimes even the best-made plans be insufficient. That’s when the Food Bank is would be relied upon to make sure local communities impacted by disasters have what they need to meet their basic needs and get back on their feet.

The Food Bank is a member of the Emergency Network Los Angeles, Inc. (ENLA), a network of Los Angeles County, nonprofit, community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide assistance to individuals, families, and organizations following emergencies and disasters. Currently, with 2 million food-insecure people in LA County, the Food Bank distributes more than 1 million pounds of food every week. As part of the ENLA, in the case of a disaster, the Food Bank would continue regular operations, programs and distributions, but would also need to increase the number of distributions – likely serving additional sites – and would be responsible for providing items beyond food such as clean drinking water, diapers and formula, personal hygiene items and more.

Planning and preparing for this situation requires financial support.

Financial support during a crisis will be vital. But financial support before a crisis enables the Food Bank to purchase trucks and the other resources needed to respond to increased need in a community that is already struggling to close the hunger gap.

The Food Bank Distributes Food Every Day

Feeding a community that is dealing with power outages, structural damage and more is a task that the Food Bank is uniquely prepared to do. We do it every day. Our Mobile Food Pantry, for example, visits sites all over the county delivering nutritious food to people who need it most efficiently and quickly. This valuable operation, along with the Food Bank’s unparalleled ability to source, acquire and distribute food, would not only provide hunger relief but hope and some stability as people recover from tragedy.

By supporting the Food Bank, donors are doing their part to help the Los Angeles prepare for the worst.

Once you’ve planned your escape route, made your kit and maybe even learned some basic first aid, please consider making a donation to the Food Bank’s Disaster Relief Fund.