American Red Cross Delivers Food for an Expected 9,000 in Region's Shelters

At 7 this morning, trucks carrying 4,000 cartons of food, enough to feed the 9,000 people who are expected to fill the shelters in the area during Hurricane Irene, pulled up at Fair Oaks School in Montville.

The food is what the Red Cross calls its “push pack,” food and other items to sustain shelter inhabitants for three days.

Joe Apicelli, the American Red Cross feeding manager at the site, said that Montville Fire Inspector Ed Shafer invited the Red Cross to use Fair Oaks.

Two Cisco tractor-trailer trucks delivered the cartons, and 14 American Red Cross volunteers – and a few volunteers from the town and other agencies – divvied it up to go to the shelters.

The cartons included water, Washington state apples, Cisco Finest oranges, coffee and creamer, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (already made), Fritos, Tostidos, orange juice, hand towels, cups, trash bags, baby food diapers, and much more.

Here are Apicelli’s estimates for the population of shelters in the area:

• New London Senior Center – 900
• Montville High School – 180
• East Lyme MiddleSchool – 1,800
• Lisbon Elementary School – 80
• North Stonington/Preston Elementary – 900
• Stonington High School – 1,800
• Norwich Moriarty School – 900
• Groton / Fitch Senior High School – 1,800

The food is distributed proportionally, Apicelli said. The Red Cross pays for all of it.

By about 4 p.m., the final truck was being loaded, and the final cartons were heading out to shelters. The volunteers were sweaty but unfazed.

Ron Luich, an American Red Cross volunteer, said the group knew what it was doing.

“We’ve been planning this for 10 years.”

In Groton, the Red Cross has set up a respite center, which is open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the until Friday, said Deputy Director of Emergency Management Jeffrey Williams.

The Senior Center opens at 8:30 a.m. and the Red Cross will serve hot meals from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and people are invited to use the showers at the Senior Center.