We all feel hunger pains at some point during the day. Most of us are lucky enough to not have to worry where our next meal will come from, however not everyone is so lucky. Summer is a busy time for most families and before starting my new job at Second Harvest Food Bank a couple months ago, I never really thought much about how families and children that receive free and reduced lunches are affected during the summer.

What I’ve learned is both eye-opening and frightening: 1 in 5 CHILDREN in Louisiana struggles with hunger, this means someone my son goes to school with could be hungry. The need for food assistance during the summer months at Second Harvest is tremendous and it is usually a time of year when donations are not as plentiful.

Last June, Second Harvest Food Bank opened the Community Kitchen inside the spacious 700 Edwards Avenue warehouse. This community kitchen prepares hot, nutritious meals for children through its Kids Cafe and Summer Feeding program sites across the New Orleans metropolitan area. Last year the community kitchen at Second Harvest fed 2,500 children breakfast and lunch totaling 101,525 meals at 36 sites.

This summer, Second Harvest has increased its Summer Feeding program to over 50 sites and feeding almost 4,000 children daily. That’s nearly a quarter million meals for children who might otherwise go hungry this summer. These meals are prepared, plated and delivered daily by a team of volunteers who often use their own vehicles. This summer these meals will feed children in the Greater New Orleans area as well as three sites in Lafayette, St. Martin and Calcasieu parishes. A new Toyota vehicle will help Second Harvest Food Bank deliver nutritious meals to more children in need!

This Saturday, June 9 Second Harvest is competing against 4 other organizations to win a new Toyota from the Toyota 100 Cars for Good program. I hope the NOLAFemmes community will support Second Harvest and their mission to end hunger and especially child hunger across south Louisiana.

To vote visit: www.100CarsForGood.com  voting takes place between 9am – 11pm CDT Saturday, June 9.

I hope to be able to share more news from Second Harvest Food Bank to all of you again soon.