Latest news with #SecondHarvest
Axios
18 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
New Orleans food pantry braces for "very challenging summer"
With kids out of school, south Louisiana's largest food pantry is "bracing for what's going to be a very challenging summer," says Second Harvest Food Bank chief impact officer Lindsay Hendrix. The big picture: Kids will likely go hungry this summer in New Orleans and elsewhere amid national cutbacks at the USDA, rising food costs and a safety net that can't quite catch everyone who falls toward it. Catch up quick: In March, the USDA canceled more than $1 billion in federal spending that bought food from local producers and shipped it to schools and food banks, Politico reported. And food prices have been up since the coronavirus pandemic, which squeezes budgets for families and food suppliers. Plus, when kids are let out of school, they no longer have access to free or reduced-price lunches five days a week. By the numbers: In Louisiana, 448,000 students, or 62.4% overall, had access to free or reduced lunch for the 2022-2023 school year, National Center for Education Statistics data shows. But once the summer hits, Hendrix says, only 8% of those kids receive meals. "That other 92%, it's hard for us to reach them," she says. Between the lines: Gov. Jeff Landry's administration did opt the state back into the summer food stamp program known as SUN Bucks. He was hesitant to do so in 2024, but enrollment this year seemed to happen without incident. Yes, but: The program only offers families a one-time payment of $120 per eligible child. "We know you can't make a meal every day for that sum, so there's still a gap," Hendrix says. "These programs are designed to be supplemental but that piece — cobbling together accessing different kinds of programs — is unfortunately a real occurrence for a lot of our families with kids." What's next: As a short-term measure, Hendrix says, Second Harvest has dipped into its reserves to help make ends meet, "but money for food only goes so far, even at wholesale prices." The food bank, which serves the whole of South Louisiana, is also leaning on its food pantry partners and network while increasing the number of staffers it has dedicated to finding donated food sources. But those jobs will take some time to produce results, Hendrix says. The bottom line:"The unfortunate reality is we will just have less to go around," Hendrix says. How to help If you can give money, great. And there are other ways to help:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Food banks seek state assistance
HIGH POINT — Food banks in North Carolina, including the one that serves the High Point area, are seeking extra funding from the N.C. General Assembly for the coming fiscal year to cope with greater demand for services and the loss of federal dollars. The food banks want to maintain the $6.1 million that was provided in the current state budget and receive an additional $3 million related to outreach from the impact of Tropical Storm Helene. The state House and Senate are negotiating over a final state budget after different plans were passed by each chamber. 'In light of the current environment and historic numbers of individuals seeking assistance, the food banks requested additional funds for the upcoming year,' Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest N.C. said in a statement to The High Point Enterprise. The state's food banks say that they face pressures of greater demand from people in need and a possible increase in requests for assistance if food stamp benefits are cut in the new federal budget being worked out by Congress, as the House has proposed. The food banks also lost some federal funding when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in March that it was cutting $11 million that food banks in North Carolina had expected to receive through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. The money was used by food banks to purchase food from local farmers. Second Harvest lost $2 million. The General Assembly has a history of supporting state food banks. The six Feeding America-affiliated food banks in North Carolina — along with Feeding the Carolinas, their state association that serves both Carolinas — have received grants from the state of North Carolina for the past 30 years, according to Second Harvest. Second Harvest serves a network of 500 food assistance programs in an 18-county region, including 17 agencies serving the High Point and Jamestown areas. The food bank's local partners involve 19 food pantries, four shelters and three soup kitchens. On average, local partners rely on Second Harvest for 80% of the food they provide to people in need, the food bank reports. For the new fiscal year starting July 1, Second Harvest is projecting its network will distribute nearly 40 million meals.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Gallery: Clearwave Fiber and WSAV hold Food Drive for Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia
POOLER, Ga. (WSAV) — Clearwave Fiber and WSAV held the first Schools Out Summer Food Drive for Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia Tuesday! Clearwave Fiber recently hosted a community food drive benefiting Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. The event, in partnership with WSAV, supported the School's Out for Summer campaign, helping provide meals to local children who face food insecurity when school is not in session. View other dates for drive-up and drop-off food collection by clicking or tapping here. Check out the pictures here: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
WSAV kicks off ‘School's Out' summer food drive to fight childhood hunger
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — School's out but hunger isn't taking a vacation. Thousands of children across Coastal Georgia face a summer without reliable access to meals. That's why WSAV is teaming up with Second Harvest for the third annual School's Out Summer Food Drive and the need has never been greater. The kitchen at Second Harvest prepares nearly 9,000 meals a day and the month of June is crucial to help fill the gap left when school meals go away. 'Hunger's not going to go away, and childhood hunger especially is not going to go away. A lot of the people with children that get these meals – both parents are working – and they just can't make ends meet. This is especially during the summer, they can't make meals,' said Mary Jane Crouch, the Executive Director of Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. WSAV has teamed up with Second Harvest to fight rising food insecurity as school lets out. With 1 in 5 Georgia children facing hunger and 22 percent living below the poverty line in the Coastal Empire, this summer food drive is critical. WSAV is collecting shelf-stable, kid-friendly items like applesauce, oatmeal and soup, meals children can open, heat, and eat on their donation helps fill backpacks with nutritious food so kids can enjoy summer with sunshine, play and full stomachs. 'A lot of teachers talk about the academic loss during the summer, and a lot of that has to do with the lack of the proper nutrition. The children aren't getting those nutritious meals at school. This food drive in summer is really important to make sure when those kids go back to school, they're ready to learn,' said Crouch. WSAV's first donation event is Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Clearwave Fiber located on Canal Street in Pooler. If you can't make it today, there are other dates we have set up for drive-up, drop-off food collection. For drop-off dates and a full list of items you can donate, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Second Harvest Food Bank launches ‘Summer Food Service Program' in Greater New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Second Harvest Food Bank kicked off its Summer Food Service Program on Monday morning. The food bank, located on Edwards Avenue, aims to provide meals during the summer months that students are usually provided during the school year. Breakfasts and lunches are prepared for more than 3,000 children in the area. New Orleans' French Market will celebrate annual Creole Tomato Festival John Sillars, Chief Strategy Officer at Second Harvest, says that the schools are helping to cover costs of the feeding program. However, the New Orleans community also plays a large part in helping the program come to life. 'This is a program where we do get compensated partially by the Department of Education, but we do need community support to keep it going because it doesn't cover the entire cost,' Sillars said. 'There is a fundraising gap that we need, and we depend on the community to close that gap.' There are currently 72 summer feeding sites in South Louisiana, the majority being in the Greater New Orleans area. Those interested in donating their time or money to Second Harvest Food Bank can visit the Second Harvest auto repair chain to close 145 stores nationwide Gulf policymakers detail efforts to brace for 2025 hurricanes Popeyes takes a dig at McDonald's with newest menu item Wanted: Man threatens to kill entire family if they call police 2 rescued after plane crashes into ocean off coast of Connecticut Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
