Harvey drains Frisco Family Services
Empty shelves are a common sight at the Frisco Family Services Food Pantry as Hurricane Harvey put a dent in the organization’s food inventory.
Hurricane Harvey is still having effects on communities all over Texas nearly a month after it struck the gulf coast as Frisco Family Services is struggling after donating much of its inventory to hurricane survivors.
“Many of those devastated by the hurricane have relocated and are staying with family or friends,” Frisco Family Services’ Executive Director Nicole Bursey said via email. “Meeting these unexpected needs can be difficult for the individual in transition and for their support system, because often their resources are limited. Also, others are staying in temporary housing with no systems of support.”
Frisco Family Services operates the only food pantry in Frisco, and while they believe helping those affected by the hurricane is crucial, they’re also dedicated to meeting the needs of their community.
“Last year, we distributed more than 474,600 meals. On average, [that’s] more than 9,100 meals, more than 10,900 pounds weekly,” FFS Marketing Manager Katie Carnival said via email. “Currently, we have distributed more than 1,000 pounds of food to individuals and families who have relocated due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey. More shelters are starting to close, and more people will be relocating to the area every day.”
We try to be as prepared as possible, but devastating events such as these are unpredictable,
— Katie Carnival
The pantry has experienced shortages in the past with Hurricane Katrina and prepared the best they could for Harvey.
“We had a similar situation of families relocating to our area,” Carnival said via email. “We try to be as prepared as possible, but devastating events such as these are unpredictable. The support of the community when these tragic events hit is crucial.”
Money or food donations to the organization will be allocated to both those who have relocated to the area and locals in need.
“When you are in a crisis, the last thing you should have to worry about is keeping yourself and your family fed,” Carnival said via email. “We can help take a lot of that stress off, and keep our Frisco and Frisco ISD, as well as our Texas neighbors strong.”
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Brooke Colombo is Editor-in-Chief of Wingspan, and has been involved in journalism since her freshman year. It’s been a year now, and present Brooke...
