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Bringing Thanksgiving to Sandy victims

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    Ross Fraser on Feeding America’s holiday mission

  • Duration 6:53
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I welcome back to fox highlights on foxnews.com.

So glad that you're here with us today on -- angle and you can find me on Twitter there's my Twitter handle down below.

Look forward to hearing from you and -- -- chime in on the conversation.

Right really want to turn our attention to Thanksgiving.

And of course it's a wonderful time of year and keep you bringing people together but it's not going to be so easy for many people who have been affected.

A by hurricane sandy and who.

May be less fortunate also we want to introduced you Ross Frazier director of media relations for feeding America.

Thank you so much for coming in today in speaking with us.

And thank you for all the fine work that you do.

To help so many.

So let's first talk about feeding America what is feeding America and how many people a year.

Just feeding America help -- not just out of her kids and he doesn't do right all the time.

Right -- feeding America's the network of all of the food banks in the country so hearing here in New York for example but the food bank for New York City and city harvest.

We have 200 food banks across the country.

And they provide food to 61000.

Agencies.

Soup kitchens and food -- have any given week we have nearly six million people six million people.

Coming to a food pantry or soup kitchen for help.

To feed themselves and their families when right now we have hurricane sandy on top -- on top of this and -- Thanksgiving time.

And when people come to the pantries are they looking for.

Boxes of food -- you know like canned goods and some fresh food for whatever you can -- looking for one specific meal what are -- -- Little -- It depends I think we have everything from someone who's just lost a job they've never needed to ask for help before and and they just don't have a big -- pay their rent they can keep their -- done but there's no money left for -- right so we have people who need this once in awhile.

And then what we call crown excuse me.

People here the average income for someone and food -- -- 732.

Dollars a month.

Which isn't a lot of money so and particularly with senior citizens we find that they.

-- -- low income -- citizens need this month after month after month.

So you have the gamut of people who need help once in -- to people who are frequent users and then with hurricane sandy we're feeding people who are normally donors who are -- -- And you you talked about some of the numbers.

That are devastating for the current state of hunger in this country.

And also you know we want to ask you about the areas of the country that are in most -- of hunger relief is it.

The East Coast right now.

It's the -- has now because there's an urgent situation but hunger is hunger is prevalent in every community that.

We even have a map on our website which is -- the mile -- and you look at any community.

And see what the rate of poverty with the rate of hunger is on that particular community.

That -- even though some of your local food banks in new York New Jersey were damaged.

-- your team feeding America have been very hands on in the aftermath of sandy we were just looking at some photos of some of efforts going on parking lots gathering food.

-- to tell us about your hunger relief efforts in those living here on the East Coast case -- what you're doing.

One of the lessons that we learned from Hurricane Katrina is that we need to be prepared.

So we already have provisions stage throughout the country in areas where where there might be a tornado or hurricane.

Says we knew hurricane sandy was coming we have lots of food water meals ready TE which -- meals that don't require refrigeration or.

They're getting older mares you're talking and the old memories can't so we had food staged and really get because -- immediately after disaster Millen has electricity can break through.

You've got to have water so we had millions of pounds of food already stage itself and then as the hurricane -- We did everything possible in all of our donors all of the food companies.

The -- -- industry.

Donating food and water to us.

There's even -- an organization and I've -- People in Roanoke Virginia got together and they did a food drive car it's -- New Jersey and Long Island and they.

This -- last week they got 40000.

Pounds of wow.

And they're driving it up this week.

-- and first in New Jersey and then the second truck to Long Island to that is incredible and and -- -- an immediate aftermath he just had to get food to people you just had to find them.

So of Long Island harvest which is -- for events and Long Island.

Someone made 101000 sandwiches.

And they got in a truck and they literally drove around Long Island passing out sandwiches to anyone who needed -- -- right away.

And you know with the Thanksgiving a few days away and all the people that are here on the East Coast still so many still without power which is unbelievable that's true.

How do you when you distribute the food that I I am I'm imagining my head boxes of cancer.

Is it is it that is it is -- -- and mares -- Yeah well what's what's happening right now is we just need a lot of people because they displays we can't give them canned food because I don't have the ability to cook.

So we're doing -- a lot more hot meal service than we normally.

And we're doing this and church basements and schools were setting up tents wherever there -- people.

And -- -- it's difficult for the people to get to us so we're going to them taking food around and it's not the normal distribution channels.

Right they have to get -- right have to get creative -- some of the ways that -- been creative -- -- are -- well if it's live as I mentioned literally getting but putting sandwiches and a truck and driving around and they were using bull -- to say we have food we have food right you need -- help coming -- it.

And many of the food pantries that we normally serve -- they're just not in business right now of electricity isn't on.

The staff has been dispersed.

And then finding.

Continuing to find like -- top applesauce that doesn't mean yeah he -- -- refrigerator.

-- trying to -- that -- and crackers kittens right absolutely that you can get so that Thanksgiving plans for your organization and expectations of course have changed on shore right drastically with what's going on but I understand there's a number of companies and organizations.

That have stepped up -- sold out more about what's gonna happen on Thursday.

Well the challenge I mean the challenges we still have to feed the six million people who come to us for help every -- now we have that tens of thousands of people who have already impacted.

Have the good news is people have been very generous we have.

We what we're doing is we're asking people to make contributions directly to the impacted -- banks.

So that so for example if if I wanted to buy a -- can -- efficient cost me a dollar and some change -- he donated dollar to a food bank.

They have the means to probably buy three cans of tuna for that dollar.

So food is donations of cash are as much more efficient -- donations of food.

And people can donate to feeding America getting on the website we want but the web -- at once again there it is feeding America.

I'm you can of course find that on our Fox News website we've got to -- but I want to thank you very much for being here.

And you know a quick word that you want people to donate right there and we obviously need people to donate to help -- -- the American dot org all right very good Ross Frazier director of -- feeding America thank you so much for being with -- and a with us and good luck to you thank you so much.

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