I work part-time serving lunch at my children's school.  Things have been tight for my family for a long time, but we especially felt the pinch when I left my job to stay home and take care of Katie, 10, Patrick, 8 and Sarah, 18 months. My husband, John, had good work building fences, but it wasn't enough; we had no extra money and even received a foreclosure notice on our house. So once we started receiving groceries at a pantry each month.  We sighed a huge breath of relief.

And now that it’s summer, with a nearby Food Bank sponsored free summer breakfast and lunch program, we're getting by even without the daily free lunch we count on during the school year. It relieves a ton of stress. And when I'm stress-free, my kids are too. Someday, I hope they'll all go to college like I never had the opportunity to do. Nothing, really, would make me happier than giving my kids a better life.

About the Food Bank’s  Summer Feeding Program:
For many kids, summertime means two things: fun and friends. For others, it means the only meals they can depend on ―school breakfast and school lunch―are no longer available. Families are faced with stretching already tight food budgets to feed hungry appetites through the summer. On average, families spend an additional $300 or more on food during the summer. Working parents who know their children are safe, supervised and fed during the school year must make other arrangements for their kids in the summer.
 
The Summer Feeding program is targeted to children in areas that are at risk for hunger over the summer months. We partner with non-profit organizations that conduct summer programs for low-income children to become a Summer Feeding site.  All Summer Feeding sites are FREE to children under 18 years old.  In summer of 2017, the Food Bank provided 39,742 breakfast and lunches meals to children in Northwest Louisiana. 

​To read the rest of our summer 2018 newsletter, click here. 

Our programs help the children in Northwest Louisiana that are food insecure.  To help with child hunger during the summer, the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana is partnering with the Shreve Memorial Libraries to provide free healthy lunches to children as part of the Food Bank’s Summer Food Service Program.  The Summer Food Service Program— provides meals to children during the summer months, when they are at higher risk of hunger.

Lunch will be available for children under the age of 18 at the following Shreve Memorial Library Branches:

• Atkins Branch, 3704 Greenwood Road, Shreveport
• Broadmoor Branch, 1212 Captain Shreve Drive, Shreveport
• Cedar Grove/Line Avenue Branch, 8303 Line Avenue, Shreveport
• David Raines Branch, 2855 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Shreveport
• Gilliam Branch, 12797 Main Street, Gilliam
• Hollywood/Union Avenue Branch, 2105 Hollywood Avenue, Shreveport
• Hosston Branch, 15478 US Hwy 71, Hosston
• Main Branch, 424 Texas Street, Shreveport
• Means Branch, 7016 E. Magnolia Lane, Ida
• Mooringsport Branch, 603 Latimer Street, Mooringsport
• North Caddo Branch, 615 North Pine Street, Vivian
• North Shreveport Branch, 4844 North Market Street, Shreveport
• Oil City Branch, 102 Allen Street, Oil City
• Rodessa Branch, 10093 Main Street, Rodessa

• Wallette Branch, 363 Hearne Avenue, Shreveport

 
The Summer Food Service Program will coincide with Shreve Memorial Library’s “Libraries Rock!” Summer Reading Program.   Meals will be provided free of charge for children under age 18 by the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana Monday through Friday through July 27, 2018.  

Thank you for participating in Give for Good on Tuesday, May 1st! The Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana received $25,695.99 in one day of on-line giving.  We are grateful for our generous community. 

To read the rest of our summer 2018 newsletter, click here. 

The Food Bank’s largest fundraiser of the year, Empty Bowls, was held Thursday, June 7 at the ELDORADO Resort Casino Shreveport.  This event could not take place without the generous support of our sponsors.  The event raised enough funds to provide 354,000 meals for our community.
 
2018 Sponsors
Gold:                                                           
Healthy Blue
ELDORADO Resort Casino Shreveport
Enterprise Car Rental
Linda Snyder
Manpower
Willis-Knighton Health System
 
Bronze Sponsor:                                 
Capital One
Grainger
 
Painted Bowl Sponsor: 
HUB International
AEP SWEPCO
Bank of Montgomery
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
Brookshire's
International Paper
Lenders Option
Regions

Soup Spoon Sponsors:​
Air Force Sergeants Association
Bancorp South
Barksdale Federal Credit Union   
CenterPoint Energy
MidSouth Bank
Moreman and Moore
Vickie and Paul Young
Patron  Sponsors:
The Beason Family
Home Federal Bank
 
In Kind Sponsors:                               
Ace Digital
Advance Awards and Gifts
Karen LaBeau
Magnolia Mae
Plum Nelly Flower Farm
 
Outstanding Agency:                       
Looking To Jesus Food Pantry - Oil City, Louisiana

Want to read the rest of our summer 2018 newsletter? Click here!

Dear Food Bank Friends,
 
Words can’t even begin to express my gratitude to you for the caring and support you have provided to our less fortunate neighbors. What you do is truly a blessing for the individuals and families we serve.
 
More and more people are turning to our doors for help. The children, veterans, seniors and others living on fixed incomes are struggling to keep up with the rising costs of everyday basic needs. And as the price of milk, bread, rice, cereals, pasta, eggs, meat, poultry and almost all other food items continue to rapidly increase, these people are finding themselves without money and without food at the end of the month—and some don’t even make it that far. It’s difficult to fathom what it must be like for even something as basic as food to be an unaffordable luxury. But that’s simply the case for so many within our community.
 
The Food Bank’s work to provide food for those in need has always been important; but now, and in the upcoming year, it will be more important than ever as we see an increased need for our services due increases in food and gas prices that challenge everyone. At the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana we are continually looking for ways to do more with less.
 
It is our faith and hope that everyone will join us in meeting this challenge. Thank you for our continued support.
 
With gratitude,

Martha Marak
Executive Director

To read the rest of our summer 2018 newsletter, click here. 

​Host a food drive without leaving your home or office!

Our online virtual food drive lets you “shop” for nutritious food to donate to the Food Bank of Northwest without leaving the comfort of your home. And the best part? Your dollar goes further than a visit to the grocery store. For every $1 donated, we can provide $10 worth of food to the local community. Starting a virtual food drive is easy and fun. You can host one as an individual or company, or you can even spur some friendly competition by setting up teams to compete for the most meals raised. Easily invite friends, family and coworkers to join. Personalize your page with a company or organization logo. A goal thermometer even tracks your progress! Once your drive is set up, your participants will be able to browse our aisles, add items to a “shopping cart,” and “check out” by making your gift.

Bring your community together to make a difference in the lives of people in need.  For more information please contact Meg Coleman at development@foodbanknla.org or 318.675.2400 ext. 111.

To read the rest of our summer 2018 newsletter, click here. 

Use Your Social Media Powers For Good! Sign up to be a member of the Food Bank’s Social Media Ambassadors Program.

Social Media Ambassadors are an online community of Food Bank supporters who mix Food Bank messages into their post. In turn, your name and profile will be featured on our Social Media Ambassador Roster page. Any blog posts, tweets, videos and photos will be incorporated into the Food Bank’s social media and promotional materials.

The Social Media Ambassadors are critical to helping us expand our awareness of hunger and provide the vital relief that over 75,000 children, families, seniors need every day of the year. Show the world that you're a Hunger Hero! Join the Social Media Ambassadors Program today!
 
You can submit your registration request here: https://www.foodbanknla.org/communication.html

How does it work?

The Food Bank will provide an online resource center and monthly newswire email that contains information about our current activities, campaigns and news. Logos, brochures & important details will be outlined. SMA members can pick and choose what they’d like to help promote using their online communities: blogs, websites, Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook.

How often do you mention the Food Bank?

We ask SMA members to follow @foodbankofnwla on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and post about the Food Bank at least once per month (at least 12 times per year). A blog post, a few tweets, or Facebook mentions would be great. Videos and photos work well, too - and engaging your workplace, church or neighborhood is most valuable for us!

How do you qualify?

Social Media Ambassadors for the Food Bank must have at least online network that is public (not set to private) so that shared Food Bank content can be seen by everyone. This can be: a blog, YouTube page, Twitter account, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook page. Ambassadors should reside in our seven parish service area and believe in our mission. Each application is reviewed on a case by case basis.
 
Join today!

I am a Navy veteran. I was honorably discharged after serving my country for four years on several detachments and deployments. I loved my time in the Navy. Sure, it was hard work but I got to see the world and I was always taken care of. It wasn't until after I got out that my struggles really began.

I'm a single mom to two beautiful girls – Hailey is four and Hannah is six. My husband and I split up a few years ago and unfortunately I don't receive any support. I want to work hard and earn a living, but right now my daughters' school schedule doesn't allow it. Hailey is too young to attend school all day, and I can't afford the daycare I'd need to work full time. I do everything I can to make the most of the few hours she is in school – I clean homes, landscape lawns; anything to make a little money to keep the shelves stocked. But as you can imagine, it's not enough. There have been times when I didn't eat so my daughters could.

As a veteran, it's really tough to ask for help. The Navy taught me to be independent. I was ashamed to admit that I couldn't make it on my own. My daughters were the only reason I ended up asking for assistance. Their needs motivated me to put my pride aside and visit a nearby food pantry – served by the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana.  By giving us food, the pantry restored a sense of normalcy to our lives and gave us the strength and inspiration we needed to keep reaching for a better day.

I now know that a better day will be here soon. When Hailey is old enough to attend full-time kindergarten, I can work enough hours to make ends meet. I'm not sure I'd be as hopeful about the future without the Food Bank’s support. To me, the people there are angels, and I can't thank them enough for everything they've done.

To read more of the fall 2017 newsletter, click here. 

I can’t say it enough — THANK YOU! I’ve always believed that there is a tremendous amount of compassion and philanthropy in Northwest Louisiana, and the generosity during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey has proven this several times over.
 
Together, we hit the ground running by providing over $275,000 in food, water, household items, cleaning supplies and pet food to our struggling neighbors in Southeast Texas.  And we continue our work in Northwest Louisiana to help the 35,000 individuals that turn to the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana each month. 
 
Because friends like you care about the well-being of our community and the victims of nature’s disasters, the Food Bank is on task to distribute nearly 1,000,000 pounds of food, enough food for 765,000 meals each month.
 
Thank you for your generous the support of our community.  Together we have continued to provide food to 150 non-profit organizations, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, church pantries, and schools.   With even more people in our community needing our assistance, we hope we can count on your continued support.  
 
With gratitude,
Martha

To read the rest of the fall 2017 newsletter, click here.