Second Harvest Food Bank of New Orleans

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana is the largest food bank in Louisiana, with facilities in both New Orleans and Lafayette and programs across 23 parishes. Founded in 1982 (and obtaining its current name in 2004), this member of the Feeding America network has been able to provide resources and programs to get families back on their feet after mass displacement due to extreme weather conditions and other disasters. Second Harvest is a non-profit organization partnered with USDA, the Louisiana Departments of Agriculture and Forestry, Children and Family Services and Education, and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security. The group’s efforts during Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and the COVID-19 pandemic have been greatly appreciated by communities in southern Louisiana.

Second Harvest Food Bank serves communities across southern Louisiana by redistributing food that would have been wasted. The organization also assists clients with public benefits, helps them learn more about healthy nutrition, and sponsors community kitchen meals.

A Unique context

The approximately 2.5 million population of Louisiana has faced its fair share of disasters such as floods caused by hurricanes, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, tornados, and most recently, pandemics. Louisiana is on the hurricane-prone coast of the Gulf of Mexico. When hurricanes hit the swamp-like environment of New Orleans, they cause great rain and wind surges that damage the infrastructure and the population. Hurricanes are such a liability to the city of New Orleans that in 1965 politicians began lobbying Congress for further disaster assistance. Congress ultimately issued the “Southeast Hurricane Disaster Relief Act,” which included a significant amount of emergency funds for flood victims who have been displaced.  

In these circumstances, it can be hard to meet basic needs. Food insecurity is an increasing problem, where people do not know where their next meals are coming from. A 2002 survey of New Orleans residents found that 83% of school-age children received free or reduced-priced lunches, more than one-fifth of low-income families with children went hungry, and more than a quarter were food insecure.  A 2003 study noted that more than 10% of families in New Orleans and Louisiana received food stamps, and approximately 40% of low-income children under age six in New Orleans received federal Women’s Infants and Children (WIC) assistance (Woods, 2009). More recently, one in five families in Louisiana struggle with hunger and nearly 400,000 individuals are food insecure. As workers were being laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it caused households to lose money and have to make tough decisions about whether to pay bills or purchase groceries for their families. 

Creating stable food access and community health

In 1982, Phillip M. Hannan, Bishop Roger P. Morin, and Gregory Ben Johnson founded the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana in order to combat food insecurity. The food bank became fully accredited as a member of America’s Second Harvest, a food bank network. In southern Louisiana, Second Harvest assists more than 210,000 individuals through a network of partner agencies that include food pantries, soup kitchens, community centers, shelters, schools, and churches. Association with the larger network allowed the New Orleans location to receive donations from all over the country. Currently, this food bank is the largest hunger-fighting organization in Louisiana; its mission is to “lead the fight against hunger in South Louisiana by providing food access, advocacy, education, and disaster response" (Second Harvest Food Bank).

Second Harvest is prepared year round to deal with all kinds of disasters and are vital in keeping communities afloat by offering nutritious meals and a friendly face. Second Harvest obtains approximately 25% of food and fund donations annually through partnerships with USDA, the Louisiana Departments of Agriculture and Forestry, Children and Family Services and Education, and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security. Second Harvest also provides programs and services that assist low-income families, working-class citizens, and the entire community in achieving viable lifestyles. 

Resiliency 

The efforts of Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana during the back-to-back monstrous hurricanes Katrina and Rita were outstanding. During Hurricane Katrina on August 29th, 2005, the food bank went without power for two days. Once the storm went away, the Second Harvest staff was able to help immediately. The staff found a crew of volunteers to help out, even though some were without homes themselves (Coffman & Fellow, 2007). They used an old Walmart in the area as a second site to provide food and water that was much needed in the current situation. Hurricane Rita came closely behind, which knocked the state of Louisiana down again, but Second Harvest was able to get back up to help the people in need with the resources they needed.

No person left behind

For more than fifty years, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana has allowed struggling families of the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas not to worry about going to bed hungry. Second Harvest gives those affected by crises a helping hand, making sure no child, family, or elderly person gets left behind.

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