First Friday Memo - December 2024
From the desk of Jayne Wright-Velez, Executive Director
December 2024 / Issue 178
Still Time to Donate in Kroger’s End Hunger Here Holiday Campaign!
This holiday season Kroger is once again reinforcing their Zero Hunger | Zero Waste commitment in all of their stores with their End Hunger Here Holiday Fundraising Campaign. Customers can round up their total or make a $1, $5 or $10 donation to support the Food Bank of Central Louisiana. The End Hunger Here campaign runs through Saturday, December 7.
1PointFive Supports the BackPack Program in Allen Parish
1PointFive has awarded a grant to the Food Bank of Central Louisiana for food and supplies for the BackPack program, which sends meals and snacks home with schoolchildren over weekends and school holidays. 1PointFive is a carbon capture and storage company focused on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thanks to 1PointFive for supporting children in Central Louisiana.
CHRISTUS Health wants to hear from YOU!
We’re partnering with CHRISTUS Health to build a healthier community. We are sharing their Community Health Survey—a vital tool used to enhance the services and care they provide. Your participation will make a big difference in shaping the future of healthcare in our community. Since this survey is only available every three years, your feedback is essential in helping to understand the evolving health needs of our community. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and will be open until December 17th. Access the survey here: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8002955/christus-community-health-needs-assessment
Optimum Supports the Food Bank
Optimum donated $2,500 to support the Food Bank of Central Louisiana. Optimum is committed to making a positive impact in the communities they serve. As part of their new brand platform, "Where Local is Bigtime,” they are committed to bringing a big city feel with a localized support structure to understand and celebrate what makes each community unique. We are so thankful for their support.
Double Your Impact through the Holidays!
From now until year-end, the Harvest Fund will match your gift to the Food Bank through a challenge grant! Donate by December 31 online, by mail, or by phone to double your impact.
Donate now: https://www.fbcenla.org/?form=donate
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Dear Friends,
At this time of year, we can’t help reflecting on the big things that stick out most in our minds from the past twelve months. For me, a huge event was being elected Chair of the Food Bank’s Board of Directors. That honor and responsibility makes me look back on 2024 through a special lens. While many people will recall rivalry and division between people, I think of things that brought us together. At the Food Bank, we saw unity and cooperation every day in everything we did.
During our 2023-2024 fiscal year, we distributed more food than ever before – even more than in the 2020-2021 fiscal year when we faced the dual disasters of the pandemic and late summer hurricanes that hit Central Louisiana. I think about that and know that we couldn’t have done so much without everyone sharing the mission to fight hunger in our communities. Together.
In 2024, the Food Bank provided vegetables, fruits, whole grains and other foods that promote good health; all in higher proportions than I can remember. We didn’t just distribute food to fill bellies, but we made sure people could fill their tables with nutritious, balanced meals. We all know that the healthiest foods are often more expensive, so we could only accomplish this through the generosity of hundreds of donors who joined in the effort. Together.
Volunteers spent thousands of hours at the Food Bank this year. They planted and harvested produce, sorted food drive donations, and packed more than 250,000 boxes, bags and backpacks full of foods to nourish people they didn’t even know. To me, that’s the essence of how I reflect on the past year. People from all walks of life came together to help other people from all walks of life. It gives me hope and inspiration for everything we’ll do next year. And we’ll do it together.
I hope your Holidays are filled with happy reflection, hopeful inspiration, and peaceful harmony. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.
Brian Couvillon
Board Chair
