In early October, Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeastern portion of the United States. From historic flooding, resulting in catastrophic damage to downed power lines that left millions in the dark, Helene is on track to be one of the worst natural disasters in modern U.S. history.
The need for disaster relief and aid is momentous. With the core mission of improving life through better nutrition at home in mind, Mom’s Meals® donated 5,415 shelf-stable meals to Georgia residents. In addition, Mom’s Meals is matching employee donations to the American Red Cross to help further relief efforts.
"Our community was rocked by Hurricane Helene,” Georgia Senator Blake Tillery shared. “We truly saw the worst of Mother Nature, but we’ve seen the best of people, especially your group helping to feed those who aren't only without food, but those volunteering to help others."
Working with local officials, the shelf-stable meals were distributed to those impacted by Hurricane Helene. This type of outreach is central to the company’s focus on fighting food insecurity. From natural disasters where basic needs cannot be met to working with food banks and pantries across the country to ensure vulnerable populations are getting nourishing meals, Mom’s Meals believes in providing nutritional equity to all.
The meals were personally delivered by driver, Victor Lovejoy. Lovejoy, who has been with Mom’s Meals for nearly four years and serves as regional driver, made the 16-hour drive from Iowa to Lyons, Georgia, where the meals were distributed. He recounts as he got closer to where Helene made landfall the devastation was shocking.
“Roofs were ripped off steel buildings, a house completely pushed off its foundation — you see it on TV, but to actually drive through it and see the energy that went through there was unbelievable,” recounts Lovejoy. “We have cameras on the trucks, and I called my boss to look, because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
Even in the midst of the devastation, Lovejoy saw hope, grit, cooperation. He saw people who still had smiles on their faces. Those smiles were reinforced by the meals he was delivering.
The meals were distributed with the help of military officials to Lyons residents who were affected by Hurricane Helene. Lovejoy noted it was a well-organized operation and people were offering help to one another.
“People were so thankful,” Lovejoy remembers. “I had probably five or six people thank me for bringing it, and I said, ‘It came all the way from Iowa,’ and then their eyes just got gigantic. People were grateful and that just gave me such a feeling of personal pride to be a part of it and associated with a company that thinks about the needs of other people.”
Learn more about how Mom’s Meals is working toward combating food insecurity in the communities we serve.