The American Red Cross has identified Atlantic County, New Jersey as one of 15 front-line communities across the country that are often impacted by climate-related disasters. Families in this county struggle with chronic social issues such as less access to food, health care and housing assistance. To help, the Red Cross is building partnerships with organizations like the Friends of Jean Webster Food Pantry in Atlantic City, an organization that feeds hundreds of families each week.

By forging new partnerships with local nonprofits that provide services related to health, hunger and housing, the Red Cross Community Adaptation Program (CAP) seeks to build more resilient communities that are better equipped for the climate crisis.

Red Cross New Jersey Region CEO Rosie Taravella and members of the Community Adaptation Program recently cut the ribbon on a CAP-funded ramp at the Friends of Jean Webster Food Pantry.

^{"The Red Cross is so excited to work with partners that are fighting hunger and providing access to healthcare and housing."}

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Kristie Collins, Community Disaster Risk Reduction Manager with the Community Adaptation Program, explained how prior to having the ramp, delivery trucks would need to stop traffic on the busy street as they backed up to the front door to unload, blocking the sidewalk as well.

“The ramp that our grant has purchased will help the Friends of Jean Webster Food Pantry get more food from the food bank into their facility and help to build capacity in the area,” said Collins.

Reverand John Scotland, director of Friends of Jean Webster thanked the Red Cross and their Community Adaptation Program for helping to increase capacity with this project.

“We’re sitting in the middle of five zip codes, representing communities that all have extreme amounts of poverty,” said Scotland. “Atlantic City is a food desert. The ramp allows us to take in more deliveries from the food bank. We’ve gone from one delivery to four. From one pallet to ten, 12 or 15 pallets at a time now. We want to thank you for this incredibly important partnership.”

In addition to funding the food delivery ramp, Red Cross CAP also funded the construction of a wheelchair threshold ramp into the food pantry and an electric pallet jack to help transport pallets of food around the interior of the pantry and generators to help keep the pantry operating in the event of a local disaster and power outage. The CAP team is working to also support the future expansion of the pantry’s community garden.

Taravella elaborated on the importance of partnerships, which aim to help provide increased access to health and mental health services, nutritious food and safe housing for local families who are underserved and at risk from the worsening climate crisis.  

“When folks are facing low-income challenges, and a disaster occurs on top of it, it can be a real problem,” said Taravella. “The Red Cross is so excited to work with partners that are fighting hunger and providing access to healthcare and housing. Long after the Red Cross has provided support after a disaster, these programs need to continue in order to build sustainability.”

Reverand Scotland remembers the devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy in the area and how important local organizations were. “It’s only a matter of time before we’re affected by another Sandy.”

In the seven months that Red Cross CAP has been working in Atlantic County, the team has met with more than 50 potential community partners and have been identifying enhancements that can increase partners’ capacity and capabilities to deliver community services before, during and after disasters. Some of the support CAP can provide to partners could include grants, subject matter expertise, data sharing and analysis, volunteer exchanges, training and materials or equipment.