October 2006 Update

Water temperature is a critical factor in development of strong Hurricanes. As we reach the peak of Hurricane season each August, I start watching the daily paper for the water temperature at Dauphin Island, just south of Mobile. In August the water temperature reaches 90 degrees some days and is rarely below 88 degrees the entire month. Hurricane Katrina fed on the extreme heat last year when it came ashore in late august. Today the temperatures outside will be in the high 80’s and low 90’s just like August. But, the water temperature at Dauphin Island is a relatively cool 80 degrees. That’s great news because it means even if a late year Hurricane develops, it won’t be able to build the strength that Katrina did. With nothing forming in the Caribbean, I don’t think the gulf will see even a small hurricane this season. That’s great news because it gives everyone still busy rebuilding that much longer to complete their most critical work.

I’m currently part of a group of 15 from across America’s Second Harvest working to update the disaster plan for the network. We’ve got a deadline of June 1st to establish new guidelines that account for the lessons learned from the 2005 Hurricane season in a plan that meets the need, large and small, regardless of type of disaster. The network support of the Bay Area Food Bank was tremendous following Hurricane Katrina and the new plan is going to capture all the things done right to help keep response timely and effective no matter when or where the next disaster strikes.

For the Food Bank calm weather this time of year means we can move ahead with our fall food drive held by schools throughout Mobile County while building the food boxes to go along with the 1,600 turkeys we plan to distribute to over 150 of the agencies we work with throughout the year. They’ll be cooking them for group dinners or passing them on to families. This year we’re also busy distributing food boxes provided through various grants to help those still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. One recent recipient wrote that the 40 pound box of food she received allowed her to buy $75 worth of sheet rock for repairing the house she would have otherwise spent on groceries. For those caught under-insured by rapidly rising repair costs, recover assistance comes in many forms.

Our Board of Directors spends this time each year looking for new board members and selecting a new group of board officers to guide the Food Bank in the coming year. This is no small task since all Board Members are unpaid volunteers. Steering a multi-million dollar organization responsible for honest, effective handling of $20,000,000 in donated food for no compensation is a big thing to ask. In my six years with the Food Bank, the budget has doubled, the staff has doubled and distribution of food has increased four fold. That’s the mark of a very successful organization, focused on the mission of feeding people in a cost effective manner. It is a tribute to the Board’s dedication and interest in helping others.