Hurricane Ida Relief

Approximately 2.5 years have passed since Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on Louisiana's Bayou region, but we continue to work to connect Bayou families with the nutritious meals they need to thrive. 

The COVID-19 pandemic adn Hurricane Ida put hunger in the spotlight, but also revealed the longtime inequities that countless people in our communities were already facing. These economic challenges have been further exacerbated by the effects of multiple hurricanes and increasing inflation. Food prices and supply chain disruptions are affecting our food bank at the same time that household budgets for families are tightening. More families than ever before are seeking help from Second Harvest, many for the first time.

To feed Bayou families today, Second Harvest is responding to this increased need through its Food Distribution and Mobile Pantry Programs, its Child Hunger Programs, its Senior Program, and its Disaster Relief Program. We work with nearly 30 partner agencies across the region to meet neighbors where they are and remove the barriers that keep people from being able to access nutritious food. Those include lack of awareness of food assistance options; a lack of physical access to do transportation issues and food deserts; social stigma around seeking food assistance; and individual experience such as pantries having excessive wait times or not being able to meet special dietary needs. With our partners, we prioritize the dignity of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. 

Over the past year, Second Harvest has distributed more than 3 million pounds of food to a monthly average of 11,000 children, adults, and seniors in the Bayou region.