Food for Thought

(Second Harvest President and CEO Natalie Jayroe looks back on the ten years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita)  As I sat in my Memphis home on August 30, 2005, watching the horror of the broken levees unfold on CNN, I immediately knew where I  wanted to be. I had been asked to help turn around a struggling food... Read More

It was one of the worst disasters in American history: Hundreds of thousands of homes flooded, more than 1,800 dead, and millions of lives disrupted. Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, many areas of New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana have bounced back stronger than ever. However, in other neighborhoods, hunger is a problem yet to be... Read More

Second Harvest Food Bank has recently hosted health fairs in Orleans, Jefferson and Terrebonne Parishes. These events brought food, medical screenings, and healthy living services to hundreds of local residents. “It’s an amazing opportunity to reach out beyond our four walls and meet more of the people in our communities who struggle with hunger,” said Second Harvest Client Services... Read More

Every day, thousands of South Louisiana students head straight from school to after-school programs. Many of the most at-risk students receive a hot meal while there, thanks to the Second Harvest “Kids Cafe” program. Ariska Everett is the Director of the Sojourner Truth Community Center, one of the after-school locations participating in this nutrition program. Her... Read More

As one of the largest food banks in the Gulf South, Second Harvest helps support the mission of more than 450 local food-related organizations across 23 parishes. This requires the work of dozens of employees and thousands of volunteers at our warehouses in Harahan and Lafayette, facilities totaling nearly 200,000 square feet. Our communities and... Read More

This year, the Second Harvest Community Kitchen will provide thousands of free, nutritious meals to local children throughout the ten-week summer break. According to Second Harvest’s Community Kitchen Director Gina Melita, dozens of partner organizations will receive freshly prepared, nutritious breakfasts, lunches, and snacks each day during their summer programming, entirely free of charge. “Most... Read More

Covington’s Lyon Elementary is one of many schools participating in the Second Harvest Food Bank Backpack Program.  This program provides extra food every Friday to at-risk children  to help them get through the week. Click below to view our video about how the program works:

The Tangi Food Pantry has been fighting hunger in Tangipahoa Parish for thirty years. Click below to learn more about how your support of Second Harvest makes their mission possible.  

Sister Judy Zynda is one of the regular volunteers who make it possible to fulfill our mission. Sister Judy donates her time helping with administrative tasks in our offices, including data entry for our volunteer and financial departments. As a member of the Order of The Adrian Dominican Sisters, Sister Judy has seen firsthand what... Read More

Since 2011, local business Fleur de Light Candles has raised nearly $20,000 for the Second Harvest mission to end hunger in South Louisiana.