In its ongoing effort to help address hunger in our community, the Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) has awarded a $2,000 grant to Second Harvest Food Bank to expand food distribution at two of its partner food pantries in Dulac and Grand Isle.

With the grant, Second Harvest has purchased freezers and shelving units for the food pantry hosted by the First Baptist Church in Grand Isle and the Terrebonne Churches United (TCU) Good Samaritan Food Bank satellite food pantry in Dulac, which will allow both sites to provide meat and other perishable foods to needy residents as well as more packaged food items.

“As our local economy struggles, we are seeing a growing need among local families for basic, nutritious meals that many of us take for granted every day,” said BCF President Stephen Peltier. “Bayou Community Foundation works to identify and address the critical needs of our area, and food security has risen to be one of the highest priorities.  We are pleased to award this grant to Second Harvest to help these local food banks feed children and families right here at home, and we thank the BCF donors who make this grant possible.”

The $2,000 BCF grant was made possible by contributions to the foundation’s Second Harvest Fund, designed to lead the fight against hunger and build food security in Terrebonne, Lafourche and Grand Isle.

First Baptist Church in Grand Isle has recently transitioned from offering a Mobile Pantry program to hosting a permanent distribution location to serve more community members.  The new facility is the only food pantry on the island, and the church has already received requests from Grand Isle School for assistance for families in need.  Last year, the mobile pantry distributed 94,000 pounds of food to 200 individuals a month.

The TCU Food Bank in Houma, one of the largest Second Harvest partners in our area, recently opened a satellite food pantry at the Dulac Community Center. With flooding that often impacts the communities of Dulac and Isle de Jean-Charles, a steady means for families to access healthy food is more necessary than ever.

“Dulac is part of our long term strategy to bring services closer to those in need. Instead of having a massive foodbank, it is our goal to have a central warehouse with locations spread around the parish making it easier for those in need to have access to food,” says Lawrence DeHart, Executive Director of the TCU Food Bank.

“There is a big need for fresh food and groceries in our Bayou parishes.  We are grateful for the support from the Bayou Community Foundation to serve more hungry families, children, and seniors in Dulac and Grand Isle,” said Natalie Jayroe, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank.