The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana received a special visit last week from the new Chief Executive Officer of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, a Louisiana native, was recently appointed to head the non-profit network of 200 Food Banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs.

Before relocating to the Feeding America national office in Chicago, Babineaux-Fontenot spent some time touring the five Food Banks located in Louisiana. One of those stops was at The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, which is headquartered in Monroe, and serves the entire Northeast region of the state.

“The Food Bank Board and staff were delighted to meet Claire,” said Jean Toth, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana. “We shared the needs that we are addressing in our corner of the state as well as highlighting the tremendous support of our partners and the community.”

Along with visiting the Food Bank of NELA’s facility, Babineaux-Fontenot accompanied Toth to one of the Food Bank’s community partner distributions. “The Zone” food pantry operated by Rays of Sonshine is one of the 60 community partners the Food Bank of NELA supplies with food, some of which comes from national donations made to Feeding America. The Food Bank serves 24,000 individuals monthly through their network of partners and direct distribution programs.

“It was deeply inspiring to see all the good work that Feeding America network food banks do to provide meals to people who need them, in Monroe and across the state,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot. “The staff and volunteers at the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, and their food pantries and meal programs, provide an essential service to their neighbors in need.”

This visit is particularly important and invaluable for Food Banks in Louisiana as the state has some of the worst hunger statistics in the country. In fact, Louisiana has the highest rate of food insecurity among senior citizens, and is ranked fourth highest in child food insecurity. Right here in Northeast Louisiana, one in five people are food insecure, and 1 in 4 children also face hunger.

The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana is a proud member of the Feeding America network, and relies on local community support to provide food to children, families and seniors in the twelve parish region they serve. Monetary contributions are always needed, and with $10, the Food Bank is able to provide 55 meals to people facing hunger. Community members can also get involved by donating food or volunteering.

About The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana

The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that solicits, stores, and distributes food to partner agencies, children and seniors in 12 Parishes in Northeast Louisiana. Together, as a hunger-relief network we serve over 24,000 people monthly. The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana is a member of Feeding America and a United Way Partner Agency. To learn more about how you can help, please visit www.foodbanknela.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

In 2017, the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana distributed over 5 million pounds of food to people in need. This would not be possible without the partnership of more than 60 nonprofit organizations that operate food pantries, soup kitchens and meal programs all over the 12 Parish region we serve. We recently visited one of those community partners to help with their pantry distribution. First SDA Tallulah is located in Madison Parish, which has the second highest rate of food insecurity in Northeast Louisiana. About 28% of the population in Madison Parish is facing hunger, and agencies like First SDA Tallulah work tirelessly to meet the need. Their monthly food distribution serves around 200 households, giving much needed food to children, families and seniors.

Coordinator Sheila Love has been feeding people there for 8 years, and her dedication to this work is truly inspiring. Sheila loves to quote Paul Shane Spear: “As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person”. When First SDA started the food program in Tallulah, they were giving out less than 50 bags a month. They saw a great need in the community and started doing more. “I give God all the praise for equipping our church with wonderful people that are willing to give their time, effort and sweat to help us every month,” Sheila said, “It’s not easy at all but I’m thankful to be able to serve others unselfishly.” Although there were lots of helping hands when we visited, they’re always in need of more volunteers. Please contact the Food Bank if you’d like to get involved.

As we handed out extra potatoes, eggs and rice, we got to see lots of smiling faces. Some were young, some old. Some strong, some fragile. But most of all we saw neighbors who needed a little help. And we were able to give, because you did. Our team left tired and sweaty, with hearts full of gratitude. So many of the people we saw expressed their thanks for the Food Bank, and we want to pass that on. Thank you to all who donate money, time and food to help our neighbors in need.