With people across the region already planning or prepping their Thanksgiving meals, this is also a time to keep those less fortunate in mind. Food scarcity is a year-round issue, but there’s a particular emphasis on a lack of nutrition on a holiday like Thanksgiving where meals are the centerpiece of gatherings. Due to federal policy changes at the beginning of the year, there is no longer USDA support coming in to support food pantries that help to feed the less fortunate. John Sillars is Chief Strategy Officer of Second Harvest Food Bank, one of the organizations helping to feed those in need in South Louisiana. He says this time of year is particularly busy for them and other organizations with similar missions.
“A lot of the celebrations that happen around the holidays are around the dinner table and food. Right now, a lot of the food distributed by the USDA to us that we would generally push out to our pantry partners is simply not getting to us,” Sillars noted. “More than 436,000 people in our area are experiencing food insecurity in our service area and that’s along with less USDA support,” He went on to say. That gap in support is equating to roughly 5 million meals worth of food not being doled out to those in need.
How can you help? Donating pantry items to your local food bank is always welcomed, along with your time volunteering if possible.
However, giving money directly to the organization that feeds the needy is probably the most impactful way to help according to Sillars. “We can buy food at below wholesale prices. So, that’s how we help our partners who would otherwise have to pay for food out of their own pocket. But, we’re able to distribute that food to them so they don’t have to pay and can help more people in the community. If you give us cash, we turn it in to purchase food and we send that food out to those pantries,” added Sillars.
For those looking to help this holiday season through donations, volunteering time, or giving money to the cause, https://no-hunger.org/ has all the details.