Food Bank Begins School Food Pantry Program
In an effort to serve children from low-income households, and their families, the Food Bank is introducing the School Food Pantry Program in Central Louisiana. This new program is funded through a Healthy Behaviors Program grant from The Rapides Foundation.
The School Pantry Program will play a crucial role in providing children and their families with access to food for preparation at home when other resources such as free and reduced price school meals are not available. Additionally, it will provide an opportunity to help educate and connect families to nutrition education programming and to other vital programs that support food and economic security.
The Food Bank of Central Louisiana is currently looking for schools interested in providing the School Food Pantry Program at their school. The Food Bank plans to open one School Food Pantry in 2016, two additional sites in 2017, and two more in 2018. We are currently accepting applications from schools interested in partnering with the Food Bank of Central Louisiana to provide a School Pantry Program for their students and their families. Applications are open to schools in Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon and Winn parishes.
The Food Bank of Central Louisiana will be working with local farmers to purchase fresh produce for distribution at the School Food Pantry Program sites. Local food producers who are interested in providing food for the program should contact Kinsie Rayburn, Farm to Table Coordinator with Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance at krayburn@cenla.org or 318-441-3408.
Food Bank of Central Louisiana is the principal organization addressing hunger and related food issues in the area, engaging hundreds of volunteers and more than 100 member agencies in distributing more than 7 million pounds of food and grocery products annually to those in need across 11 parishes.
For more information about the School Food Pantry Program, or the application process, please contact the Food Bank of Central Louisiana at 318-445-2773.