Second Harvest Food Bank: Caravan of need never stops

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

The morning of Sept. 1 was scorching hot, but the caravan of need never stopped.

The four-lane line of 2,000 slowly moving cars in the parking lot of the Alario Center in Westwego had their trunks propped open. Second Harvest Food Bank - Feeding South Louisiana, a ministry of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, was doing what it always does: Feeding hungry people.

Archbishop Gregory Aymond said: "It really brings to light for us, as Christians and as Catholics, Jesus' words: 'When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you cared for me.' And that’s what we’re doing here for the people."

The archbishop said he was gratified and humbled that Second Harvest Food Bank was launched in the 1980s by the late Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, who tasked then-Msgr. Roger Morin, who later became an auxiliary bishop of New Orleans and then bishop of Biloxi, with setting up the food bank in a small warehouse facility.

“It has continued to get stronger and stronger as time goes on,” the archbishop said. “It’s because of the generosity of a lot of people, too. Anybody who has gifts that they want to give, please give them because there’s no end in sight. That’s the concern with this.”

Archbishop Aymond joined Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, president and CEO of Feeding America, in the food distribution. Second Harvest is one of 200 food banks across the U.S. that is part of the Feeding America umbrella. 

"During this crisis, we’ve seen an unprecedented increase in need," Babineaux-Fontenot said. "The state of Louisiana is not only looking at a health pandemic but a food crisis and then, on top of that, disaster response after an unprecedented storm. More than anything else, I feel proud of this great state, proud of the partnership that Second Harvest has with the archdiocese and proud of the generosity of the people of this community, who are really stepping up."

Each family that went through the drive-thru received a box of frozen chicken and pork, two gallons of milk, shelf-stable food items, water and sports drinks.

Babineaux-Fontenot, a native of Louisiana, was driving to Baton Rouge to meet with Gov. John Bel Edwards and then on to Lafayette and Lake Charles to view food distribution activities in the wake of Hurricane Laura.

“I know what it means to lose power for a long time,” Babineaux-Fontenot said. “I know what it means to lose power in the middle of the Louisiana summer, to be afraid of what a storm can bring and to have to deal with the damages that can come after the storm has left, damages that linger a long time after the storm is gone. I know that's going to be true for Louisiana right now.

“There’s a lot of damage in Lake Charles. It’s going to take a while to dig out of this, honestly. (There are) issues with communications and water, and many people have lost everything they spent their lives building. So, we definitely are going to need everyone. It’s an all-in fight. We need everyone to step up and help people. There’s a lot of need out there.”

Much of the food commodities distributed were provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which does not require verification of residence or income.

“It’s a special USDA program with no strings attached,” said Jay Vise, communications director of Second Harvest. “You don’t have to give any special information.”

Keep these two pieces of info handy:

If you are hungry and need food, call toll-free, 211, anywhere in the state of Louisiana, 24/7. Operators are available to point you to the nearest Second Harvest food distribution site.

Anyone who needs help from Second Harvest or wants to help Second Harvest with food or monetary donations or by volunteering can go to www.no-hunger.org for the details.

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