Feeding Our Neighbors — Meet Dorothy
Dorothy is retired and spends her days watching her favorite shows, reading her bible, and attending her local church on Sunday mornings.
But like many of our neighbors in Northeast Louisiana, she struggles to afford the high cost of food and her other expenses while living on a low income.
A friend at church recommended she visit a local food pantry for food assistance. Dorothy now visits our Community Partner Fresh Start Pantry in Winnsboro and receives nutritious food each month.
“I needed food,” she said. “It really helps people a lot, and it’s very much needed.”
Dorothy shared with us that she loves receiving vegetables from the Food Bank, especially her favorite, green beans.
When you support the Food Bank, you’re directly helping our neighbors put food on the table. Please make a gift today.
Healthy Food Equals Healthy Community
One of our goals at the Food Bank is to provide our neighbors with increased access to fresh produce. Thanks to generous community support, last year we distributed over 1 million pounds of fresh produce to children, families and seniors facing food insecurity in our community!
We’re continuing to grow our partnerships to improve access to healthy food such as produce for neighbors who live in “food deserts.”
Thank you for helping us improve the health of our community!
Volunteer Spotlight: Fredna
“I love helping kids and seniors who may not have enough to eat,” said Fredna.
Fredna and her husband, Bob, are frequent volunteers at the Food Bank. From stuffing envelopes in our office to distributing food boxes to seniors in the summer heat, they are always willing to help.
Fredna first got involved with hunger relief when she began helping at a nearby food pantry when they lived in Jacksonville, FL. When they moved back to Louisiana, Fredna’s daughter invited both of them to volunteer at the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, and they have been dedicated volunteers ever since.
“It gets me out of the house, and I’m able to help people in the community,” Fredna told us.
Outside of the Food Bank, Fredna finds other ways to help in our community. She has been an active quilter for seven years. Fredna donates her quilts to organizations, hospitals, and people in need.
We are deeply grateful to the many volunteers who walk through our doors each day with a passion to help. If you would like to help our neighbors experiencing hunger, visit foodbanknela.org for ways to get involved.
Results: Scouting for Food
The Boy Scouts of America Scouting for Food Drive collected over 12,400 pounds of food for local children, families and seniors! Their efforts helped nourish our community during the holiday season. Thank you to the local Scouts and everyone in Northeast Louisiana who donated food!
Results: Christmas Cheer
The Food Bank’s annual Christmas Cheer drive returned to a food drive format in 2023. Participating schools collected almost 30,000 pounds of food for our neighbors facing hunger!
Congratulations to the winning schools!
We want to thank the schools, volunteers from the Monroe Army Recruiting Office and Coca Cola for helping make this possible!
Upcoming: Stamp Out Hunger
Local letter carriers will collect food for the Annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive on Saturday, May 11, 2024!
Place non-perishable foods you would like to donate to the Food Bank near your mailbox that morning to be picked up by your letter carrier!
Your donations will help feed local children, families and seniors facing hunger across Northeast Louisiana!
These organizations generously gave $2,500 or more to help nourish our community.
Did You Know…
The Food Bank can accept a variety of donations, including financial assets like stocks, retirement contributions and estates:
- A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your retirement account is a way to get tax advantages for your charitable contributions. QCDs can be made from various types of IRAs, but not directly from a 401(k) plan.
- Recommend a gift through your donor-advised fund (DAF) by contacting your DAF plan administrator or using the DAF Direct module at foodbanknela.org/give-funds.
- Transferring securities/stocks directly to the Food Bank’s brokerage account is a quick and easy way to make a tax-exempt donation.
- Leave the Food Bank in your estate with language as simple as: I give, devise, and bequeath to The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, Inc. in Monroe, LA, Tax Identification Number 72-1333809, the sum of $ (or state percentage or fraction of the estate) to be used for its general purposes.
If you would like to learn more about these unique ways to give, please visit foodbanknela.org/give-funds or contact Sarah Hoffman at 318-322-3567 or shoffman@fbnela.org.
