Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans was founded in 1982 by Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, Bishop Roger P. Morin, and Gregory Ben Johnson, Director of the Social Apostolate of the Archdiocese. By July 1983 the food bank was distributing food to 23 faith-based and nonprofit member agencies.

On September 13, 1985, Second Harvest Food Bank became a fully accredited member of America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network, allowing it to receive large donations from all over the country. A merger in 1989 with The Food Bank for Emergencies of Greater New Orleans, Inc. led to the addition of the emergency food box program to the food bank’s efforts to reclaim food that was going to waste. As it grew, the organization went through several name changes, finally becoming Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana in 2004.

THE FACTS

One in five households in Louisiana is at risk of hunger. Across our state and region, the rising cost of food, housing, and utilities, coupled with high unemployment and low-wage jobs have increased the need for emergency food assistance. Many families are asking for help for the first time. When bills loom and impossible decisions must be made, grocery lists are often cut first. Meals are skipped. Parents go without to make sure their children are fed.

OUR RESPONSE

Second Harvest Food Bank leads the fight against hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response. Second Harvest provides food and support to 700+ community partners and programs across 23 parishes. Our staff and volunteers distribute the equivalent of more than 32 million meals to 210,000+ people a year.

Through our food distribution programs, community kitchen meal service, nutrition education, and public benefits assistance, we are helping to create pathways out of poverty. Every year, Second Harvest secures millions of pounds of food that otherwise would have gone to waste. Our work helps ensure that these meals make it to the dinner tables of thousands of families struggling with hunger in South Louisiana.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana

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