While the prospect of solving the problem of hunger completely seems daunting, Second Harvest is one organization dedicated to curbing it as much as possible.
Second Harvest spokeswoman Lindsay Hendrix noted three major programs in St. Charles Parish that have gone a long way toward addressing that problem on a local level.
The school backpack program coordinated by United Way of St. Charles and Second Harvest provides nutritious and easy-to-prepare food for hungry children in St. Charles Parish to take home on weekends and school vacations when other resources are not available. More than 500 children receive a backpack each week. Six parish schools participate in the program after the recent addition of Norco Elementary, with East Bank Head Start, G.W. Carver, Luling Elementary, St. Rose Elementary and Allemands Elementary the other participants.
“The students may receive free or reduced lunches at school during the week, but they may not be able have that healthy, balanced meal at home over the weekend,” Hendrix said. “This allows each child to bring home those healthier choices every Friday throughout the school year.”
More than 500 students were fed last year as result of the program, which began in 2006.
Second Harvest’s Mobile Food Pantry is another major project that does a great deal of good locally.
The traveling food truck provides food to 450 households in St. Charles Parish a month, the truck carrying thousands of pounds of fresh produce and other perishable foods. The mobile pantry hits the road twice a month to feed citizens in St. Charles Parish, making one stop in Boutte and another in Killona.
United Way of St. Charles provides financial backing for the program, providing more than $22,000 a year to maintain the mobile pantry and its viability.
“Each truck carries between 5 to 7,000 pounds of food,” Hendrix said, noting that the mobile pantries were established in order to deliver food to communities without a stationary food pantry in place.
Hendrix said the fact that the trucks travel to those locations can also save locals from having to make a trip to a stationary food bank location outside of that community, creating a bit of financial savings for those recipients. The pantry delivers to targeted areas based on need and for those who are struggling financially, every bit saved counts.
“We are very conscious about issues with transportation so we want to be sure clients are able to access emergency food from wherever they live in the parish, whether that’s from a mobile or from a brick-and-mortar pantry,” Hendrix said.
The stationary food pantries, however, serve a great purpose, feeding thousands of people each year. The St. Charles United Methodist Church Food Pantry in Destrehan is one that partners with Second Harvest and last year, it’s estimated that food bank helped feed more than 9,000 people.
“Food scarcity is huge in St. Charles Parish,” Hendrix said. “When you look at the cost per meal, the state average is $2.82, while in St. Charles Parish, it’s higher (in 2014, the average cost was $3.21 per meal as per the feedingamerica.org website), one of the higher costs per meal in the state. Not a lot of people may see it, but you probably know someone who is struggling.”
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