January 21, 2022

With contributions from donors around the country, the Bayou Community Foundation (BCF) has invested over $3.7 million to fund relief and recovery efforts for residents of Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish and Grand Isle since Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall here on August 29.

In the past five months, the Foundation’s Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Ida Relief has awarded 84 grants to local nonprofit organizations, providing $3,736,018 in funding for food and essential supplies, medical services, assistance for first responders, classroom equipment and supplies, temporary housing, building repairs and home rebuilding.  The Foundation continues to accept donations to and make grants from the Bayou Recovery Fund to address our community’s critical long-term recovery needs.

“Our local nonprofits have done amazing work serving our people who are suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. We are grateful to our donors for their contributions that allow us to fund these critical nonprofit efforts with grants from the Bayou Recovery Fund,” said BCF President Henry Lafont.

Out of the $3.7 million in grants awarded to date:

• $1.4 million supports emergency relief services such as distribution of gasoline, hot meals, nonperishable food, water, and cleaning and hygiene supplies immediately following the storm;
• $1.4 million funds housing programs, including temporary housing assistance, campers, home repairs and rebuilding;
• $700,000 provides financial assistance to individuals, families and emergency responders; and supports community recovery projects; and
• $230,000 helps local nonprofit organizations make building repairs or replace lost equipment so they can resume operations and deliver critical programs to local residents.

The full list of grantees can be viewed here.

“As we journey on this road to recovery, housing is our greatest need. With the generous support of our donors, BCF is committed to doing all we can to get our neediest residents back into homes so they can rebuild their lives and we can rebuild our community,” said Executive Director Jennifer Armand.

With an estimated 12,000 homes in the area severely damaged and thousands of families living in tents and cars following Hurricane Ida, the Foundation provided a $500,000 grant to support distribution of campers to residents in need in southern Terrebonne and Lafourche, a project of the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority and local business organizations.  To date, 36 families have a safe and secure temporary home as part of the program.

“The speed and flexibility of the funding we received from Bayou Community Foundation allowed us incredible opportunities to provide quick solutions for emergency housing in an equitable manner.  Without their partnership, our recovery would look vastly different today,” said TEDFO Chief Executive Officer Matt Rookard.

BCF has also funded a $250,000 grant to Lafourche Parish nonprofit Bless Your Heart to support another major temporary housing initiative, providing campers to up to 25 families currently living in severely damaged homes, churches and tents in South Lafourche.  Grants of over $275,000 have been awarded for building supplies to help needy homeowners and volunteer groups repair homes in the hardest hit communities, including a $25,000 grant to Hope Extreme to purchase supplies and tools for visiting volunteer groups repairing houses in a Latino community of East Houma.

On Grand Isle, BCF is helping the Grand Isle Garden Club distribute bed, bath and kitchen necessities to Grand Isle residents moving into temporary trailers on the island with a $40,000 grant.  The Garden Club has delivered supplies to 65 families to date and will continue to fill the need as people begin to move back to the island to rebuild.

“The Bayou Community Foundation’s grant has been a blessing to us.  It has meant that we can continue our program to supply each temporary trailer on the island with an essential supplies package. This program has meant a lot to residents and families on Grand Isle who lost so much in Hurricane Ida,” said Grand Isle Garden Club President Ronald Sampey.

“The Bayou Recovery Fund for Hurricane Ida Relief is here to support our community and local residents for many months to come, to see us through recovery and rebuilding,” Armand said.  “We thank the hundreds of donors who have generously contributed,  and invite friends here and around the country who care about our unique and precious coastal region to invest in our long-term recovery with a charitable gift to the Bayou Recovery Fund.”

Tax-deductible contributions can be made at www.BayouCF.org.  BCF is also accepting Bayou Recovery Fund grant applications from nonprofit organizations serving Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle on a rolling basis.  For grant application and instructions, visit https://www.bayoucf.org/hurricane-ida-relief-grants/.