Healthy Communities

You help Second Harvest provide the equivalent of 32 million meals annually to people in need. And we are always looking for ways to deliver healthier options to the families we serve to address the link between hunger and poor health. The “Healthy Communities” program is one way we do this.

Thanks to your generosity, Second Harvest’s School Pantry program provides food to students and their families at their school. Healthy Communities takes it a step further, bringing a truckload of fresh produce and other services to monthly events at local schools.

Second Harvest launched a Healthy Communities site this year at Phoenix High School in Braithwaite. This area in Plaquemines Parish is considered a “food desert.”

Residents have to drive at least 45 minutes to reach the nearest grocery store, and that’s only if they catch the Mississippi River ferry on time.

“We were able to send home items with all of our students during the Healthy Communities program this month, which was right before Thanksgiving break,” says Lindsey Lozes, Phoenix High School Counselor. “Our students especially enjoy the cereal, crackers, and produce during their
week off from school.”

At these Healthy Communities events, Second Harvest staff and partners offer nutrition education and services such as screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, and other nutrition-related illnesses. “These school pantries help support the local community, as well as students and their families,” said Second Harvest Nutrition Coordinator Jacqueline Futch. “It’s a hand up, not a hand out. We have seen hundreds of working families benefit every month from being able to have fresh fruits and vegetables.”

The Healthy Communities initiative is possible thanks to the generous support of Chevron and donors like you.