Feeding Jackson Parish
Linda is a retired seamstress but still enjoys using her creativity in sewing quilts and small craft items. She’s also an enthusiastic baker and loves to bake cookies, little treats, and cakes.
But since she’s retired, Linda has experienced a new type of challenge in life. Living on a low income, she needed food assistance and turned to the Food Bank for help.
“I needed help,” she told us. “Social Security wasn’t enough to cover everything comfortably.
Linda receives groceries each month from our Community Partner, Crossroads Ministries in Chatham, LA. She told us that the service she gets from the Food Bank family is as valuable as the food she receives.
“For me, it’s seeing friends. And that’s the way they treat you,” she said. “They care.”
You can help support our neighbors facing hunger by making a gift today at foodbanknela.org.
Jean's Message
Summer is here! After a beautiful spring, the temperatures warmed up and then came the end of another school year. Most of us can remember the excitement that summer brings. As a kid, I loved family cookouts in the summer and eating homegrown tomatoes my dad grew in his garden.
However, many kids in our community have different feelings towards summer vacation. Instead, summer is a time of anxiety and worry as parents juggle the cost of extra childcare and higher grocery bills. Because when school stops, so do the free school meals many children in our community receive.
Summer months bring a spike in the number of families seeking food assistance at our local pantries. And unfortunately, as you’ll read in this newsletter, food insecurity has increased among adults and children in Northeast Louisiana. That’s why I’m asking for your continued support so we can meet this increased need and eliminate one worry for our neighbors.
Every dollar, every can of food, and every volunteer hour makes a difference in our community. Thank you for taking action and for your compassionate support of our mission.
With gratitude,
Jean Toth
Thank You!
Thank you to all of our awesome volunteers who help us nourish Northeast Louisiana!
Pantry Spotlight: Crossroads Ministries
Crossroads Ministries Pantry hosts a food distribution twice a month, providing produce, proteins, and shelf-stable food items to our neighbors in Jackson Parish.
“It takes a big community to raise a family,” said Mary Kirkland, Pantry Manager. “It means so much to us to be able to help others.”
One in five people in Jackson Parish are food insecure, including 1 in 3 children. As the pantry manager, Mary sees firsthand the impact food insecurity has in our community.
One of the many challenges food insecure families experience is being unable to afford adequate groceries needed for a healthy lifestyle.
“I see there are so many children that don’t have proper food to eat before they go to school or food to eat when they come home from school,” Mary said.
With their group of compassionate volunteers, Crossroads Ministries Pantry serves 215 people in the Chatham community each month.
Takin’ it to the Streets
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Bank continues to partner with local municipalities and organizations to host Mobile Pantry distributions across Northeast Louisiana.
This program allows us to provide food directly from one of our refrigerated trucks to our neighbors needing food assistance in rural communities, including in times of disaster.
Many of our neighbors live in “food deserts” and don’t have access to grocery or discount stores. Kenneth, a neighbor in Tensas Parish, said the Food Bank’s distribution in Waterproof each month helps residents in a community with no store to get food.
“A lot of people are elderly and don’t have transportation to go to the next town over for food,” said Kenneth. “It’s greatly appreciated.”
Each month, the Food Bank hosts drive-thru distributions in Tensas, Madison, East Carroll, and Franklin Parishes.
“We saw an increase in the demand for food assistance during the pandemic, and that need still exists,” said Jean Toth, Executive Director of the Food Bank. “I’m happy we can continue to provide nutritious food through our Mobile Pantry Program.”
Filling Bowls for 8 Years
This year’s sold-out Empty Bowls was a record breaking event with more tickets sold and the most funds raised to date! Generous community support of this year’s Empty Bowls event will help provide over 200,000 meals to children, families, and seniors who face hunger in Northeast Louisiana!
Over 500 bowls were lovingly made and donated by local artists this year. Fifteen vendors offered up delicious food and beverage tastings. The talented Emily Ezell created a beautiful painting in just 2 hours. Foot-tapping live music was played by the Toby, Jeff & Chris trio. Local organizations offered activities from clay crafts to plant giveaways.
In an effort to be more eco-friendly, Empty Bowls vendors are provided with 100% compostable spoons & forks that are plastic-free and made of cornstarch-based materials as well as compostable plates made of sugarcane fiber.
Thank you to everyone who supported our mission through this fundraiser – see you next year!
