The holiday season: a time for friends, family, and food. For some people in the Northeast Louisiana region, that may only be a dream. Sarah Hoffman and the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana work to ensure that both the mouths and hearts of hungry people in our region are fed.
According to Hoffman, over 71k people in Northeast Louisiana face hunger. This figure translates to 1 in 5 people suffering from "food insecurity," meaning that they feel unsure of where their next meal is coming from. "Just these past couple weeks, we've seen so many more people coming through our front doors at our main facility," says Hoffman. The increased number of people seeking help does not go unnoticed. "We really work hard to get food out into all 12 parishes that we serve to help people in need."
Every $10 donated helps the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana provide 55 meals.
In 2017, the Food Bank of NELA served 4.25 million meals and 5.1 million lbs of food. "The majority of our funding comes from people just like you and myself who donate," says Hoffman. During the holiday season, the Food Bank typically sees a greater amount of donations because people are thinking about food. "Every $10 donated helps us provide 55 meals to people in need in our community."
More information about the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana is available here.
