Pensacola, Fla., Feb 15, 2007 / 08:51 am
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is providing assistance to victims of the recent tornados in Florida.
HOPE, which stands for Help Our People Eat, is an emergency response vehicle owned and operated by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul under statements of understanding with FEMA, the American Red Cross, and other disaster-relief/mass-care agencies.
Called into service at the request of the Society's Orlando Council, the 42-foot-long, state-of-the-art mobile kitchen will feed not only the victims of the tornados, but the relief personnel on hand to help them as well.
Operating on its own generator and carrying a full complement of mass-care items, HOPE can feed up to 10,000 people per day. It can also act as a distribution center for essential personal care needs, such as toothbrushes and shaving kits.
"Our members have helped people in need for more than 160 years. Our person-to-person, grassroots approach allows us to fill the gaps left by other service organizations," said the Society's national executive director, Roger Playwin.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is currently seeking sponsors to offset the cost of outfitting and maintaining HOPE.