Because food banks are woven into the fabric of their communities, they’re positioned to respond when disasters and other crises hit.
During disasters—whether it’s a natural disaster like a hurricane or flood, a civil or political conflict, or a health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic—people living in vulnerable situations are disproportionately affected. Food banks regularly provide food to at-risk populations; during crises, food banks can adapt to local needs quickly and offer assistance where appropriate. Food banks also ensure a coordinated response effort by working closely with other disaster relief organizations. After the initial phases of the disaster, food banks help communities recover and are critically important to overall long-term recovery efforts.
GFN encourages food banks to be a part of local, regional, and national emergency management plans and training, to provide emergency relief in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, and to support long-term recovery efforts. We do this through:
On February 6, 2023, a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks devastated southeastern Turkey (Türkiye) and northwestern Syria. Within hours, Tider Basic Needs Association (Tider), GFN’s member food bank in Turkey, began to respond. They started to assess the damage and needs, and almost immediately began to mobilize food and other critical supplies through its network of 66 locally led food banks.
As natural disasters have become increasingly common in Turkey, Tider is also a member of Afet Platformu (Disaster Platform), an association of over 20 NGOs that collectively coordinate disaster response across the country.
In the video below, Tider’s President Hande Tibuk reflects on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake.
