Like many families across Northeast Louisiana, Heather watched her life change quickly when Winter Storm Fern tore through her neighborhood in Oak Ridge.

When the power went out the day the storm hit, it wasn’t just Heather’s household that was affected. Family members who lived next door also lost electricity, so everyone gathered at Heather’s home, which was the only residence with a fireplace. Seven people, including three children, were sheltering together under one roof trying to stay warm and safe.

For five long days, the family lived without power. To conserve heat, everyone slept together in the living room and huddled close to the fireplace. Tree limbs crashed down around the house and fence, shaking the walls with each impact.

“It looked like a destruction zone,” Heather said. “The kids were super frightened. The limbs would shake the house when they hit the ground.”

Despite the devastation around them, Heather was grateful that her home avoided major structural damage. With no electricity for many days, the family lost food from their refrigerator and had to prepare meals over the fireplace. Feeding seven people quickly became a challenge.

“We had a lot of people to feed,” Heather shared. “We made it through.”

After the storm passed, Heather turned to the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana for help. There, she received much-needed food that helped her family recover from this disaster.

“It means a lot,” she said. “The Food Bank can make the difference between someone eating or not eating.”